I don’t know if you’ll be making any resolutions in the next few days, but I know a lot of people do.
One of my problems with resolutions is that they are often either so vague that they quickly dissipate, or so reduced (eg to lose x pounds), that once they are achieved, the old patterns and habits and quickly re-emerge (eg regains x pounds!)
What I’ve been thinking about these last few days is “sustainable resolutions”.
I started with thinking that a sustainable resolution is one you keep – and what that really means is creating new habits or patterns of living – but whilst that might be a useful thing to consider, I’ve gone on to thinking about “sustainable resolutions” as ones which contribute to sustainability more broadly.
What I mean is that is seems clear we (the human race) are not on a sustainable path. It’s just not possible to continuously increase the number of people in the world consuming more and more of the finite resources of the planet. It’s just not possible to continuously increase the number of people in the world consuming more and more drugs every year. It’s just not possible to continuously increase the “growth” of the economies of every country in the world every year if “growth” is shorthand for growing consumption or growing material wealth.
Marc Halévy’s writings have made that ever so clear to me over the course of last year. In one of his books, “Prospective 2015 – 2025” he asks us to think about the work we do, or the activities we carry out, and to ask ourselves three questions. I’ve adapted them slightly to produce “sustainable resolutions”
Will this activity/work/habit
- be excellent for my personal health – physically, mentally and spiritually?
- add to the wellbeing and quality of life of other human beings?
- be excellent for Nature, Life and the Earth?
Only if the answer to ALL three of those questions is positive, is the resolution likely to be a “sustainable resolution” – one which contributes to a better quality of daily life for the individual, whilst also contributing to a better daily life now and into the future for Life on Earth.
Heroes Not Zombies 
Well – I will need to start my resolutions all over again! The three conditions you have made are of course true but, oh dear, how hard to fulfill. A life’s work perhaps? Hope that I am not too late, to start looking at my resolutions for this year with these aims in mind.
oh dear! Are they hard to fulfil? I think the thing to bear in mind is that everything we do, every day, impacts on others and impacts on the biosphere…..so the questions are just designed to make those impacts more conscious. I don’t think you can really lead a life where absolutely everything you do is also beneficial for others and for the planet, but if we at least raise the issue into consciousness, then, yes, some of our choices might change….
May all your resolutions be sustainable, and a Happy New Year! I’m about to complete 6 years of my blogging journey, and came to look you up, my first commenter 🙂
So happy to see that you’ve continued with your blog as well– here’s to many more years of blogging and sustainable resolutions!
thank you – and I second that – here’s to many more years of blogging!
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