Picture originally from: www.linfield.edu - burning earth

Its in the news: disappointment is shown on many faces around the world. Why have we become so complex that a simple progressive solution cannot be found? Actually sustainability is not difficult to achieve. It is so because people have different agendas to fulfill in an incredibly complex system. Many people  refuse to compromise.The system becomes tedious that we have to satisfy various economic and political agendas before we can progress. How did we get to this point?  While there are the usual arguements about material comsumption of goods and services that increase the carbon footprint which are very relevant, I often think the real root cause is right in our minds. The thoughts are the ones that create the unsustainable culture  of consumerism. The use and throw culture is one of those. The others are to create products and services that are really more fad than really useful. Our minds have to come clean before we can talk about saving the earth. Sustainability to me does not only restrict to how to cut down pollution of the physical environment. It should really include cleansing polluted minds of deceit, selfish and scheming thoughts to plot for individual material attainments.

All we need is just to be considerate and wise in the way we live life. Count around how many products and services you really want. Bang on those. Discard festish products and ideas that wastes energy. If many more would make use of public transport, fewer people would need the usual car that much.  If public transport is not possible because of a lack of safety, then think of some policies to run the place safe. We should think along these lines. Its far less smokey, costs less, way more healthy and better still, the generosity of being self giving will recipocrate. How hard is that ?  The way we live is actually a reflection of how we would treat people. The way we treat people will in turn affect how others will treat the rest. Its infectious. They are all linked. Treat all under the fairness of justice, and people will not be disappointed enough to fight. Unless there is an abuse of such fairness, then we should need to instill in peace and explain. People rebel because they feel they are disadvantaged.

I’m not very good in western philosophy, but there is one  Chinese saying that’s really applicable to the last respect on treating people:

泛爱众： 凡是人， 皆须爱，天同覆，地同载。

Basically it means regardless of race, language and creed etc, equality of treatment should apply to all. We are sheltered under the same blue sky and we all walk on the same common earth. Hence we must treat all as equals without selfish and cunning schemes. So is our treatment to animals and the ecological systems around us. Both the natural and the artificial environments are part of our survival. I feel that we should not keep thinking about improving the products and services all the time. We need to think about the moral education which we instill in our students and in the people. That’s where our real roots of evil/good start.

Hope I’ve made sense..

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