Does it all actually achieve anything?
One can live the ethical life to the max - go vegan, grow all one's own food, buy only local, fairly traded and cruelty-free goods, bike everywhere etc. But does it actually contribute in a more ethical society and a better world?
Most of the destruction of the planet is carried out by corporations and in the third world. My carbon footprint may be miniscule but doesn't that just make up for somebody who overconsumes? How can one person make a difference when the media and our whole culture encourages us to consume as much as possible?
To be honest all of these objections are true to one degree or another. Will all of the restrictions you put on your spending and your lifestyle actually persuade multinationals and evil governments to mend their ways? Well, I reckon that on their own, probably not. So why bother?
Firstly, a life focussed on things just does not bring happiness. A consumerist lifestyle is a pointless one. To back it up here are some reports on academic studies that refute the equality of possessions and happiness from CNNMoney and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Personal integrity is another important reason - you gotta be able to "walk the talk". There's no point complaining about sweatshop labour if you are not prepared to make sure that none of your own clothes are made in sweatshops, for example.
Enough droplets of water will eventually fill a bucket. Actually we have come a long way in the last 20 or years or so - many big chainstores do sell organic and fairtrade goods, many local councils encourage recycling etc.. They wouldn't do so if people did not want it. In order for the progress to increase people must continue voting with their wallets.
Reducing, reusing and recycling on their own are not enough to bring about any sort of significant change. I believe that if one is trying to live an ethical, it is incumbent to live that life actively - as Burke famously put it "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing".
The next few posts are going to look at the positive things one can and should do, in my opinion, in the pursuit of a simpler and more ethical existence.
Most of the destruction of the planet is carried out by corporations and in the third world. My carbon footprint may be miniscule but doesn't that just make up for somebody who overconsumes? How can one person make a difference when the media and our whole culture encourages us to consume as much as possible?
To be honest all of these objections are true to one degree or another. Will all of the restrictions you put on your spending and your lifestyle actually persuade multinationals and evil governments to mend their ways? Well, I reckon that on their own, probably not. So why bother?
Firstly, a life focussed on things just does not bring happiness. A consumerist lifestyle is a pointless one. To back it up here are some reports on academic studies that refute the equality of possessions and happiness from CNNMoney and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Personal integrity is another important reason - you gotta be able to "walk the talk". There's no point complaining about sweatshop labour if you are not prepared to make sure that none of your own clothes are made in sweatshops, for example.
Enough droplets of water will eventually fill a bucket. Actually we have come a long way in the last 20 or years or so - many big chainstores do sell organic and fairtrade goods, many local councils encourage recycling etc.. They wouldn't do so if people did not want it. In order for the progress to increase people must continue voting with their wallets.
Reducing, reusing and recycling on their own are not enough to bring about any sort of significant change. I believe that if one is trying to live an ethical, it is incumbent to live that life actively - as Burke famously put it "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing".
The next few posts are going to look at the positive things one can and should do, in my opinion, in the pursuit of a simpler and more ethical existence.
posted by voluntarysimpleton at 10:02 AM
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