Are you willing to sacrifice?, 10°

Andrew Hunt 59°

Change is fundamentally about sacrifice. Whether it's choosing chocolate ice cream or vanilla, when we decide on a course of action we sacrifice alternative options.

Faced with climate instability and the social and political turmoil that will result in "staying the course", most everyone who visits Celsias has already decided to participate in the change that will lessen the damage.

But are we really willing to make the sacrifices needed to achieve the goal?

As the debate about off-shore drilling again returns to the national spotlight, I recognize that for many families the price of gas is seriously impacting their stability, happiness, and opportunity. Though I know with great certainty that the crutch of expanded oil exploration won't help ease their financial (and too often emotional) pain, by opposing the oil rigs I am asking others to make an emotional sacrifice. I'm asking them, those still addicted to oil, to suck it up and change their lifestyle. That is a painful sacrifice for most people.

My lifestyle requires very little gasoline, but I'm not blind to the fact I am unique in this perspective, relatively speaking. Many of the actions on this website that I have agreed to aren't really painful sacrifices, most actually enhance my happiness. But how ethical is it to ask others to suffer more than I am willing to suffer?

So my question for this discussion is this, what are you willing to give up, what painful sacrifice (emotionally) are you willing to agree to in order to put skin into the game?

Last month in Climate Change, Consumerism, Economics, Education, Health, Philosophy & Religion, Politics, Travel

5 replies

Peter D. 64°

Hey Andrew,

Interesting take on relative sacrifice. I guess people will be forced to make the sacrifice as circumstances change, whether they choose to, or not. It could be argued that the sooner they do change, the less emotional pain they will suffer when the inevitable occurs.

By pointing out the problem now - is that saving them pain in the long run?

Is what we give up measured in terms of effectiveness, or the personal pain we experience by doing so - which might well be painful, yet ineffective, in some cases?

Written last month

C Robb W. 219°

Human resistance to change is a fundamental barrier to happiness. We resist even when all the evidence points to a better way.

If we are going to sacrifice we must insure that our actions have an immediate effect. For instance, grid tied solar PV produces no measurable reduction in GHG emissions until actual change in power plant operations occur. This won't happen until thousands of people mount solar PV on their roofs as well. Conservation is not required and research indicates only 6% improvements in conservation behaviour. However, if you choose to go off grid you must, by design, practice significant conservation behaviour as you have a finite amount of power available.

So not only do you not use a 3kw hair dryer but you don't purchase it either, multiply that out to every other piece of superfluous gadgetry you don't purchase and operate due to your finite power system and the savings are immediate and quantifiable.

This level of "sacrifice", if you choose to call it that, is much more effective because you have reduced demand to a far higher degree than if you merely added a grid tied system to your house with very little demand reduction.

How many people are willing to give up a front loading fridge freezer, a dishwasher, extra televisions, game consoles, extra computers, multiple telephones, bug zappers, power tools, toasters, resistance heaters, electric water heaters, air conditioners, curling irons, uncurling irons, power washers, air compressors, excessive lighting, electric towel dryers, power showers, etc, etc, etc....

Would our lives be richer without all that crap? certainly our bank accounts would be fatter, not only for not having bought it all but also for not having paid the utility to power it. We could work less because we'd be spending less. Hmm what would we do with all our time if we didn't have gadgetry to buy and spend time with; quality family time, get to know the neighbors, grow food, cook food, read a book, watch the sunset, feel the evening breeze, make love, teach our children, keep bees, raise chickens, get enough exercise, get enough sleep, etc, etc, etc.....

Oh I'm sorry, I was supposed to be talking about sacrifice......

Written this month

Karlamanda B. 0°

Yes this is about sacrifice - the reason everyone is pointing the finger at each other - is that there will be winners and losers in the environmental fallout from Climate Change. Where you sit on the Climate debate is about where your interests lie. However, to make the issue really pertinent think that 500 years ago Europeans lived dirty smelly lives, whilst China and India were prospering beautifully. Europe (think USA, Australia, Canada- extensions of western thinking) has lived off the rest of the world for 500 years, not paying the proper price for tea, coffee, sugar, timber, spices such as nutmeg, cinnamon and as a result all other cultures around the world have been plundered- the environment ruined and people impoverished. The answer is simple pay the proper price for these basic commodities and the standard of living will go up in the developing world and plumet in the 1st world. Of course all of us don't really want to do this because our standard of living would go down. The $500 a week pay packet would buy only $100 worth of goods. Sobering - we have to get used to higher prices for basic commodities which is best for the environment and would reverse 500 years of history.

Written this month

Bridget P. 95°

Some things are so easy when I just get used to doing them, like switching to reusable shopping bags and changing the thermostat and the lightbulbs.
I'm working up my initiative to do the harder things. It helps to have support, and not be the only crazy lady that people stare at. Here in backwoods downsouth Louisiana, "Green" is seen as weird. I'm a shy person by nature, and its hard to stand out and be different. The little community organization a few of us have formed is helping us not feel so alone and isolated in what we're doing.
A year ago, I never would have imagined I'd be doing what I'm doing. Who knows what I will have done and gotten used to in another year? All in all, the 'sacrifices' I've made tend to enrich my life, not take away from it.
I know if I can push the boundaries of my comfort level more, I will accomplish more.

Written 3 hours ago

C Robb W. 219°

Yes, community is so important. This is what Celsias is all about. While not local I think of it as a community nonetheless. I am researching nieghborhood food growing for my masters thesis and it is really pointing up the value of having neighbors to do it with, moral support, advice, material support, labour sharing, etc. Even when talking about making "sacrifices", if we choose to call them that, I think community support is vital. The transition town movement uses this strategy to great success. Plan an evening of neighborhood communal food sharing, a pot luck, a harvest feast, whatever and show a movie like The End of Suburbia, or The Community Solution about Cuba, and use it as a springboard for discussion. It will help to build community around your efforts.

Written 32 minutes ago

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