Sustainability – a matter of Mind
Sustainability is a central notion when talking about Climate and finding Climate Sustainable solutions.
From my point of view or perspective I believe Sustainability must be a matter of Mind
A mindset motivated by qualities which creates sustainability
I have tried to find inspiration in buddhist psychology in regard to what must create sustainability
Tibetan Buddhism promotes the values of Compassion and to develop this, in oneself and in the culture one is in. Compassion and wisdom in combination is the ideal but wisdom is perhaps more difficult to cultivate as we don’t know what wisdom is. Wisdom may be defined very different according to what perspective one has or takes.
Compassion however everyone can relate to. We hopefully all know a bit about what it means to be warmhearted and act from a generous altruistic warmhearted mind or heart
One could use this quality or mindset of Compassion as a tool or compass to cultivate our life or what to use our life for
If we as an example are motivated by greed, anger/hostility and or ignorance, jealousy/envy or pride, we want other aspects for ourselves and others than if we had an innate drive for compassion for us and for them
The first mentioned aspects creates consequences not equivalent to sustainable values. If we however are motivated by compassion, chances are much greater that we will act sustainable or create ripples or consequences of Sustainability.
Then our mindset and/or Heart becomes Sustainable.
I lay this as a ground or basis of my notion of Sustainability which must be the basis notion to take into consideration when talking about Climate Psychology
When Mind become non-Sustainable
I believe Compassion is the number one Sustainable factor. That Sustainability is something which starts with Compassion in our Minds/Hearts. When we lose or lack Compassion for someone or something, we stop being Sustainable.
As an example, our compassion is limited to fellow human beings, cats, dogs and horses but stops when it comes to animals that to us are regarded as food
Compassion then reaches outwards towards that limit. And beyond that limit, a non sustainability is created.
With animals as food, you find it in their food chain (the growing of soy, the giving of antibiotics which makes us resistant), you find it in our uncompassionate treatment of the animals and you find it in the consequences of building up an industry around this “need” etc etc.
But one sees it in everything where one’s compassion reaches a limit, where we don’t like or where we have defined at an individual or cultural level that this is something that does not deserve our Compassion
It could be animals, but also fellow human beings, the earth, the land, countries, nationalities, in-groups, outgroups or religions
Thinking of the Whole
For something to be sustainable we need to think more of the Whole than of ourselves. The more one is able to include in one´s consciousness, the more sustainable it becomes. The less one includes, and the more of the whole one leaves outside, the less sustainable it gets
How may we, the planet and the whole be healthy if we ourselves receive nourishment from an unhealthy chain of nourishment?
karina mckenzie 