America is a nation based on the principle of over-consumption.We entered a pristine new world bursting with natural resources,long-drained from the old countries we had left. We plunderedthe hidden wealth of gold, and silver, and oil. We hunted thegreat herds of bison close to extinction. We dammed the greatrivers, bridged the bays, polluted the seacoasts, and instantlyfelled tress that had taken centuries to mature.
And when we had done, we looked around the world with ourvoracious appetite, to see what else we could get our hands on.We consume the rest of the world's natural wealth with aterrifying, rapacious attitude: oil, natural gas, timber, steel,rubber, production goods, textiles, automobiles. A major portionof the earth's resources flow into the ever-open maw of theUnited States.
Can we ever change direction and find a balance betweendevelopment and conservation?
Diminishing our consumption is going to be painful. It meansgiving up our spacious SUVs for hybrids. It means adjusting ourthermostats to save energy when we would rather be comfortable.It means giving up our luscious steaks and burgers for beans,and rice, and vegetables.
We don't deal well with pain (just check out the analgesic aisleat your local drugstore). We don't deal well with discomfort(that's why we love our central heating and air conditioning).We don't deal well with deprivation (that's why we carrytrillions of dollars in consumer debt). We don't deal well withmoderation (that's why we're obese).
Can any culture, entrenched in its traditions and beliefs, makea concerted decision to change directions?
It can. Look at the changes wrought by the Reformation, theRenaissance, the age of exploration, the industrial revolution.African culture was forever changed by colonization, Indiatransformed under the Raj, and the great civilizations of SouthAmerica absorbed and redirected by Spain and Portugal.
America has a choice: it can transform itself through its owndeliberate efforts or wait for outside forces (the depletion ofoil, the greenhouse effect, the rise of anarchy in starvingcountries, the development and transmission of ever morevirulent diseases) to mandate such a change.
To manage, control, and contain such change, we need to take,individually and collectively, critical actions now.
1.Conservation.
The government is charged with managing our natural resourcesand enormous tracts of rich land and forests. We may pressureour representatives to protect our environment but we abdicateour personal responsibility when we rely solely on governmentaction.
As individuals, we can take steps, usually uncomfortable andoften painful, to clean up our private environment. We can tradein our gas guzzlers for small, efficient, compacts. We canrecycle our containers and packages and refuse to buy anythingthat contains Styrofoam or other non-biodegradable materials. Wecan pick up the litter that clogs our highways and rivers andbeaches. We can adjust the temperature in our homes and offices.We can cut our food consumption in half to allow more food forthe rest of the world. We can limit ourselves to two childrenper couple to reduce the population explosion that threatens notonly the environment but our future lifestyle. We can direct ourmoney and our business into companies that focus on green power,efficiency, and "smaller is better" planning. We can learn tolive in less space and reward contractors who build smaller,earth-friendly homes instead of wasteful mansions. WE can learnto live in harmony with our neighbors by turning off ourboomboxes and incessant cellular telephones to create quietpools of serenity.
2.Reduced Demand.
The world of commerce exists to meet the demands of consumers,that is how companies make money. To keep making more and moremoney, new demands must be created. That demand is cleverlygenerated by the advertising gurus and marketers who havecreated a throw-away society where everything must be constantlyreplaced and products just a year or two old are consideredoutdated and useless.
As individuals, we can fight this money-producing yet ultimatelydestructive current. We can keep our cars until they wear out.We can update our electronic dfevices instead of replacing them.We can go back to actually repairing things - shoes, appliances,clothes, jewelry, buildings -instead of merely throwing themaway into the ever-growing refiuse dumps and oceans andreplacing them. WE can develop an attitude that gives socialstatus and personal reinforcement to those who elect NOT to keepup with the Joneses. We can impart social stigmatism to thosewho exhibit conspicuous consumption and disregard for theenvironmental rights of all. And we can set self-imposed limitson ourselves by electing not to grab everything we want andlearn to focus on what we need.
3.Balance.
We are all familiar with the concept of pork barrel politics. Itis an extension of our personal beliefs that we're entitled tosomething, even at the expense of others who want the samething. We would all love regulations that control the actions ofothers that annoy us: "They should outlaw that . . . Thereoughta be a law . . . Why doesn't somebody stop them? . . ."However, when a law is proposed against something we enjoy, wefight tooth and nail to retain our rights and privileges.
For example, a non-golfer can make a very convincing argumentthat courses and country clubs are an unconscionable waste ofvaluable land, used only by the few who can afford to belong,which could be must more efficiently utilized for affordablehousing or public parks. An avid golfer would be aghast at thethought of no more rolling greens peppered with little cups.
It's the old "not in MY backyard" way of thinking. Let's buildmore prisons, but not here. Let's create safe houses for thehomeless and mentally ill, just not on my block. Let's buildmore airports to ease the congestion, but don't take off over myhouse. Let's build a super dump for our contaminated garbage,but not in my state.
We are willing to go along with almost anything as long as itdoesn't infringe on our personal territory. We can develop amore balanced view when we realize that everything is everyone'sterritory. We share the same planet, the same finite resources,the same wants and needs.
When we move into such a collective mode, we can abandon ourlong-held territoriality and start to make collective decisionsabout what is most effective and logical for the most people.
The demand to share the pie equally usually comes from those whohave no pie. If the person who already has the largest piece ontheir plate decides to put it back and share evenly with all,the meal, and the world, can be transformed.
About the author:Virginia Bola is a licensed clinical psychologist with deepinterests in Social Psychology and politics. She has performedtherapeutic services for more than 20 years and has studied theeffects of cultural forces and employment on the individual. Theauthor of an interactive workbook, The Wolf at the Door: AnUnemployment Survival Manual, and a monthly ezine, The Worker'sEdge, she can be reached at http://drvirginiabola.blogspot.com
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