As an activist tasked with communicating in a way that motivates people, I constantly need to keep finding ways to step it up.
Big Problem, I’m learning, is that people (mainly talking about my fellow white boomers) are in an emotional meltdown state about the state of the planet etc. They KNOW but can’t stay present to it. Consumerism is one escape hatch that provide some temporary soothing.
So I have to learn how to navigate that, in such a manner that offers “my people” a more resilient form of pain management, and motivates them to be willing to stay present and then actually take meaningful action.
In Permaculture design, one of the design principles as Holmgren frames them is “Apply self-regulation and accept feedback.” Unfortunately we have lost access to immediate feedback; the damage we do is largely invisible to us. We kind of have to be willing to drop down to a more basic level and voluntarily re-expose ourselves to feedback that we haven’t had to worry about for a long time, if ever in our lifetimes.
A simple way to start this or even just try it out for a minute is try a task with hand tools that you would usually use power tools for.
Or try doing without automated irrigation for a week. Don’t even allow yourself to use a hose. Carry the water by hand. To each plant. This is what I mean by we are not very exposed to feedback loops in our every day industrial life.
A funny thing happens when we get a level of prosperity that’s very much beyond just our basic needs. It seems like there’s some kind of point of diminishing returns beyond which we don’t become more grateful and appreciative; we just become more and more entitled and fragile. So if something is taken away, or even threatening to be taken away, we emotionally melt down.
Hence people just not wanting to think about climate impacts of the “comfortably-off middle-class” lifestyle. What used to be considered cushy has become the baseline of subsistence, and people’s perception, so people get really cranky when anyone suggests that this really is not sustainable.
Therefore one of my self-appointed tasks is to show how abundantly it’s possible to live, while ratcheting down one’s lifestyle to significantly below the comfortably well-off middle-class level.
Now, be warned: If you choose to adopt a ratchet down lifestyle, even in just a couple ways that seem innocuous — like getting around by bicycle (for transportation not just recreation), or not having your own washer and dryer in your house, or not using air conditioning – be prepared to be ostracized by people in your circles, especially if your work brings you into contact (even in a very tangential way) with any mainstream middle-class-type circles.
Right now I’m going to take the bicycle as an example because it’s something really visible and obvious that seems to stand out to people. (It may not stand out to people as much if you happen to live in a more urbanized area where people don’t insist on seeing cycling for transport as some sort of bizarre fringe hobby.)
Be prepared to be treated like you’re doing something dangerous that people need to rescue you from. Be prepared to constantly be offered rides, as if you don’t have a legitimate form of transportation. And if you try calling people on this, be prepared to be thought of as rude or mean for not appreciating their kindness.
Be prepared, if you meet someone who met you years ago, and you happen to run across them again, to have the first thing the person asks be, “Are you still riding your bicycle?”
This can mean anything from “Don’t you have a car yet, loser?”, to “I’m going to punish you for making me feel guilty” (umm, I totally wasn’t trying to do that — I actually feel sorry for you because you’re stuck behind the glass of a giant rolling coffin, that furthermore breaks down and costs you $1600 repair every time you turn around). Or some other thing to which there is just no right answer.
(VERY important note! Sometimes it can really be a pure-hearted question, like maybe you met this sweet person years ago when you were both at an eco venue or event, and the person is genuinely interested and wants to share updates, or they just enjoyed meeting you all those years ago and they’re happy to see you again. I have a terrible memory. So I have to be careful and stay curious and open as opposed to going into snarky mode. I really don’t aspire to be a cranky sourpuss, except maybe as a deliberate comical persona for effect.)
Another thing it often means it is, “I’m going to take it out of your hide for making me worry about you.” Hello? No one makes anyone worry about anyone. I’m worried about you for being stuck in your coffin on wheels but I don’t try to make you walk or ride your bicycle with me.
After all these years I haven’t thought of very many good answers. Sometimes if I’m feeling really cheeky I’ll look at a fellow boomer and ask, are you still driving, period. A friend of mine (a fellow Boomer) felt that that rejoinder would be incredibly rude.
Me, I’m just a believer in life-stage planning, what can I say. And I do not consider driving a private automobile everywhere forever to be a good plan, either for our own old age or for the planet.
Sometimes when people cry out at me that walking and bicycling is dangerous, I’ll tell them “OK, if you think it’s dangerous, please lobby our public officials for more public transportation routes and extended hours. Because I’m already busy doing that and I could use some extra voices. Or, please feel free to walk or bicycle with me and then I can show you that it’s not dangerous – Or less dangerous than car.”
For taking up bandwidth with this dialogue, (instead of being on-point with responses), I get really mad at myself. It’s on me, as an educator and activist, to get better at it, and I am going to keep trying.
I think people also like to portray things as really hard or eccentric so they won’t have to do them. Composting is another thing that comes up. My attitude is and has always been, Do what works for you, and there are lots of different ways to have a simplified lifestyle.
But to you, dear reader, right now, I’m just saying be prepared to endure some nonsense. Be prepared for people to use you either as a verbal punching bag (either obvious; or secret as in pretending to “admire” you or be “inspired” by you when actually they pretty much want to bite your face off).
You should also be prepared for people to see you as some sort of walking “Eco hail Mary,” who can somehow absolve them of their Eco sins by osmosis. Like just by giving a speech or something, or even just being in their presence. (This is one major reason why I have pretty much stopped giving speeches.)
(I may resume public talks at some point once I troubleshoot a few things; or it may not make sense. There’s too much pushback against me insisting on it being outdoors (if local), or by zoom (if further away than walking distance). I’m not willing to entertain compromise on that. People are probably just going to keep thinking I’m being weird or difficult, until I get better at communicating why my position is what it is on this. Oh well! I don’t need any one person or group’s money badly enough to risk my health or set a bad example.)
And even though I’m saying be prepared, you will totally know if you don’t already that it is absolutely 100% worth it despite all the nonsense and pushback from people.
Which is crazy, because they’re the ones missing out on vastly expanded peace and freedom, right?
Sometimes I have to avoid being really obvious about the fact that I feel sorry for people who are stuck in the mainstream lifestyle. Pity is not an effective way to get people excited about a simpler slower sweeter lifestyle.
When I say stuck in the mainstream lifestyle, I’m not talking about people wanting treats or luxuries. I have my treats and luxuries too. I’m talking about people feeling trapped as in not able to do without certain expensive and laborious things, as in “this is a baseline necessary basic need.”
I love how Sarah Wilson points out in her essay, linked below, that getting a dishwasher just ends up causing people to wash more dishes. It’s a variation on Jevon’s paradox.
Fortunately I’m not the only one out there showcasing a ratcheted-down lifestyle. Others, with far more followers — and far more polished content and presentation — than I, are out there! Two of my top recommendations are Laura Oldanie (Rich Resilient Living); and Sarah Wilson. I’ll post some links to some of my favorite content of theirs below.
I want to show you something pretty that might seem off-topic but it’s actually very much on this topic. This is a post I saw about micro libraries in Indonesia. They are delightful open-air spaces, roofed but open air. You can easily look up how hot and humid Indonesia is if you don’t know already. And yet, smart passive cooling techniques make these spaces very comfortable. And a culture of sharing as opposed to entitlement keeps the spaces safe and neat. I love how they used discarded ice cream buckets to build a translucent wall on one library. Beautiful upcycle.
Further exploration:
• Here is the Indonesia article with photographs. Indonesia’s stunning micro libraries draw young readers — in pictures; the guardian.com. (Photos by Mohammad Fadli and others; text by Joan Aurelia.)
• “Sufficiency” as a way of living a life; Sarah Wilson (Substack and email newsletter).
• “Stop idolizing billionaires: How being frugal is cooler than you think” (Laura Oldanie on YouTube). She also has an email newsletter, and website Rich Resilient Living.