The Complexity of the Perception of 'Need'

Friends! We had a week of some real introspection and observation! Thank you for participating:) For those who are just joining us here, we spent the last week looking at improvable actions in our own lives and trying to come up with solutions that work to get us on a more sustainable path :) The actions we took the opportunity to really observe were those nearly subconscious actions that we don't really pay much mind to. I appreciate the feedback that so many of you gave and I'd like to share the observations we made here.

When looking at my day-to-day habits, I noticed that:

-I drive everywhere, even if I'm going around the block

-I always get a disposable cup when I get a to-go drink

-I buy too many groceries and then don't use them all and I throw food away instead of composting it or buying less

-I use most of the lights in the house even when I'm not 'USING' them

-I use a lot of plastic wrap when I pack my lunch

-I throw away recycling sometimes

-I buy bottled water - ALL THE TIME

-I almost threw away an old shirt, but I didn't - I cut it up into a cleaning cloth

-I've never carpooled in my life - I find the idea of it annoying

-I take extremely long showers every day

-I use more paper towels than I need to

-I learned that my favorite clothing company has bad ethics regarding workers :(

-I don't recycle because my neighborhood doesn't offer it

-I sometimes want to buy organic or free-range but I'd rather save money, but then I waste food sometimes and think I may as well have made a more ethical choice in the beginning

and just eat less

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I am so excited that we shared these observations together and I am actually quite impressed at the level of observation and honesty that we accomplished together. Many of you also offered solutions that suit you, however I'd like to simply keep the list above as is for the moment - to allow each of you to consider your own ideas for solutions as well. Let's revisit this exercise in our own lives in - say - two weeks. Are we improving? Why and why not? Consider the actionable items that you have brought to the forefront of your own consciousness. You may want to change the way you organize your day or space etc - so that you can improve your chosen actions - to a standard that makes you proud. I'm here for you and am excited to hear about the solutions that you find :) Let's take a little side trip now, to think further about our list.

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Why is change so hard? Seriously? We spend our youth zipping around like wee squirrels - embracing change and seeking growth on a daily basis. What happens during the 'growing up' process - that derails that standard? I suppose it is different for every one of us - that the history of our unique lives brings us to rest in the present - in our own way. Youth seems to be quite similar throughout the ages............though each age of history drops youth off at a unique front door at the 'end of childhood.' What makes us adults or 'grown up' requires an adjustment for the times - really - an accommodation for the current stressors and realities that will determine whether you sink, swim or float in the society that surrounds you.

Take a look at the list that we came up with this week and notice that many of the observations are rooted in

-convenience

-moving quickly

-having too much

Over the past decades, there are accelerating expectations to cram more and more into our daily lives, to prioritize convenience and SELF, and to drive the economy through meaningless transactions. There is an underlying assumption that CHEAP is good - that we get MORE if goods are CHEAP. I'd love to start deconstructing some of these ideas so that we can observe our lives and the actions that we take in our lives - with a level of criticism that may allow us to regain control of the intentions behind our choices. Let's just look at the 3 trends listed above for today :)

Oh goodness, the idea of convenience has haunted us for quite some time - what does it even mean? Convenience doesn't show up the same for all of us. It could be any action or good that saves us TIME, WORK, EMOTIONAL STRESS, MONEY, BOREDOM etc. In theory, convenience is a good thing- right? It allows us to free up time or money or other resources. I think it is a fine-tuned balance, this idea of convenience. We want to save time, so we buy prepared food, but down the line prepared food can cause health problems for us. Prepared food often has harmful or MYSTERIOUS ingredients within. Prepared food can also be incredibly expensive compared to buying whole foods and preparing them ourselves. When we prepare food ourselves, we are gaining a relationship with food, with ourselves, with time, with the gratitude that comes with our own efforts. But some people don't really have the liberty to spare that time - so what can you do?

We want to save money so we buy what is cheapest even when some of the companies that provide cheap goods have severely poor ethics regarding how they treat their employees and outsourced labor. Often, the food that is the most affordable is not necessarily the most local, nutritious, ethically-sourced food. Many cheaply made non-food items don't last long at all and quickly end up being donated or - sadly - thrown away. Many cheaply-made gadgets are designed not to last, so there's no hope of them lasting or being fixed, and many companies make it cheaper to replace an item than to fix it. So, what do we do if having money on hand makes these decisions difficult or at times impossible?

We want to safe EFFORT so, we use disposable things because having to REMEMBER to bring reusable items with us everywhere we go is simply a drag. It is so much easier to let someone else do the work for us and use disposable goods and just get rid of them. These also save us time because we don't have to do any cleaning or remembering. We're just too tired and stressed and busy - right? What is there to do?

Let's consider these concepts and acknowledge that all societies are encountering their own internal balance regarding what we can call resource-management. So, too, will people within each society - have their varied interactions with resource management. I am in no way attempting to define a correct or good/incorrect or bad arrangement of time/money and other resources in the average life. I do think that if we were not constrained by time/money/the illusions of convenience - our actions could be quite different. In identifying where those constrains are REAL and where they are imprinted upon us through habit or societal norms - we can make adjustments that may seem small, but put together - can be quite impactful indeed.

I came across this quote recently:

"I always tell people that we human beings, in a way because of this intelligence, are the

biggest troublemakers. Yet because of this intelligence, we also have the capacity to not

only take care of ourselves but also to take care of the whole world." ~the Dalai Lama

I find this quote, this idea, interesting. Humans exist in a unique way which can, in many versions of living - extend our interpretation of NEED far beyond what we truly do need for survival. As we encounter ourselves within the constraints of our environments, let us consider this word - NEED - and truly begin to observe where needs meet choice, where limitations meet lack of expectations - where change is possible, where it is a stagnant idea, where it cannot occur.

Going into this next week, take the observations you made over the past week. Consider not only how you can improve upon them, but consider where you and your environment meet and where perhaps your environment is failing you. If you cannot recycle because your town doesn't offer it, if convenience is central to your life, consider why. Let's take the time to see what is truly changeable within our habits, within our community, and where we should start asking for change together. We will pick up this conversation as we take our observations one step further over the next few weeks. I look forward to hearing what you contemplate. We'll continue this conversation in 2 weeks.

Have a great week friends,

Sarah

Sarah