THERE ARE SEVEN BILLION people living on Earth, although our planet may only have enough resources to indefinitely sustain a couple billion less than that number. We are currently going the other way, on track to reach a population of 10 billion within just a few decades. Several species are becoming extinct each day, at rates one hundred times normal background levels. Water, the lifeblood of our planet, is becoming increasingly polluted. Ocean fishes harbor high levels of toxic chemicals in their tissues, and their numbers are severely threatened by overfishing. Essential tropical rainforests are leveled daily. Coral reefs are dying off due to climate change and CO2 emissions. Who will stand up to address these problems?
Much of our soil is poisoned by pesticides, and nutrient levels are becoming depleted. Current agricultural yields are artificially and unsustainably propped up by synthetic fertilizers; inputs that are dependent on finite amounts of substrates that must be produced from natural gas or obtained from mining. These synthetic fertilizers also increase soil acidity. Many agricultural areas are now reliant on irrigation, but water table levels are dropping and irrigation has increased soil salinity in many regions, rendering much land less productive than in years past. Agribusiness is developing genetically modified organisms for us to eat, possibly placing our health and future food supply at great risk; presently without just cause. Who will stand up to stop these actions?
Clean sustainable energy is available, but we continue to burn coal, natural gas, and oil to supply most of our energy requirements; even though it is widely known that we will soon run out of all three – but quite possibly not before seriously damaging our Earth. Soldiers have been sent overseas to fight and die, attempting to protect American interests. In times past, this has sometimes meant securing the availability of cheap oil, or maintaining spheres of influence in faraway locales. Many of our business and government leaders plan only for the next quarter, focusing primarily on growth and profit, amassing tremendous debt, and dragging our nation perilously close to financial disaster. The gap between the wealthy and the poor of the world continues to expand. Individual nations fight over natural resources, each chasing the impossible dream of perpetual growth, in a maniacal race to the bottom labeled the Tragedy of the Commons by ecologist Garrett Harden. Who will stand up to face these challenges?
We must not let the words of Yeats come to pass: that the best lack all conviction and the worst are filled with passionate intensity. The world has no use for restless apathy or despair.
Although our problems are very real, they are certainly not insurmountable. The world is dizzyingly complicated – and at times a little scary. But it is an exhilarating ride and, in balance, a fantastic time to be alive. Explosive growth in information, technology and connectivity are giving many concerned citizens the tools they need to help solve current problems. Many people are standing up, realizing that the goal of sustainable global happiness is well within our reach. Perhaps you are one of these people.
Present challenges impact all citizens, but it is our youth who have the most to gain or lose. Architects of a new century, it will likely be young leaders who tear down dangerous paradigms and create new models for social justice and sustainability.
Many of the preceding blog posts suggest ideas for strengthening ourselves physically and mentally. Optimizing our personal happiness allows us to more capably address current world challenges. The emphasis of today’s post is placed on achieving a more collective happiness, focusing on the general needs of other world citizens, and highlighting the importance of protecting our Earth so that future populations can live happily as well. In turn, achieving collective and planetary happiness will augment personal happiness.
In the Buddhist tradition there is a teaching called mudita, a concept that involves finding happiness in the success and triumphs of others. Author Douglas Abrams has stated that mudita is based on the recognition of the interdependence of humanity. He says that mudita also recognizes that life is not a zero-sum game, that there is not just one cake, where if someone else takes more means that we get less.
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"My brother's victory is my victory.”
-Henri Nouwen
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COGNITIVE DISSONANCE
If my friend and I are starving, I may be lucky and find a loaf of bread. If I wish, I can choose to keep the discovery secret and eat all of the bread myself; however, my happiness will be very short-lived and will soon be replaced by grief, as I must now watch my friend succumb to hunger. Alternatively, I can offer a part of the bread to my friend, which will increase her happiness, and subsequently my overall happiness as well.
Cognitive dissonance theory posits that an individual is not completely happy if he simultaneously entertains two conflicting beliefs or truths. He will instead attempt to reach equilibrium by either ignoring or refuting one belief, or altering one or both of the dissonant factors.
If I am full, but my friend is hungry, I feel internal conflict and I am not at equilibrium. I will experience cognitive dissonance and therefore will not be fully happy. Because she lives near me and is my friend, I cannot simply ignore her, or refute the fact that she is hungry. To find equilibrium I must alter the opposing factors of my desire for fullness and her pain from hunger – which I can easily accomplish by sharing my bread.
Similarly, a wealthy citizen who has everything he wants may think of himself as a good person. But then he begins to notice that although he is rich, other world citizens have basic unmet needs. He also may begin to realize that his lifestyle is harming the Earth for future generations. He, too, will experience cognitive dissonance.
In years past he could reach equilibrium by claiming ignorance to the plight of others across the world, and by refuting the notion that human actions have had a detrimental effect on the environment, ultimately negatively impacting future generations. He therefore could still consider himself to be a good person. This is no longer possible in our new, flat world.
The wealthy citizen is now very acutely aware of global conditions, often only moments after they occur. He must merely turn on his television or computer. He cannot simply turn away from the concerns and suffering of others, as they are present in every direction. He can no longer easily deny the reality of human induced damage to the Earth. The evidence is far too great. His intellect demands that he must now acknowledge these truths. But he remains unwilling to significantly change his way of life or his personal comfort level.
Yet he still wants to consider himself to be a good person.
Much unhappiness can arise from attempting to live with these conflicting truths, this cognitive dissonance. Chasing an illusory personal happiness, he grasps for something he can never quite attain. The remedy for his unhappiness can be found by making a simple cognitive shift, choosing to embrace author and theologian Henri Nouwen's way of thinking: "My brother's victory is my victory."
The health and happiness of the individual goes hand in hand with the health and happiness of the Earth and all of its inhabitants. It is all connected.