A Professor recently asked us to answer one of three questions. I chose Option 3: “What are some ways you can move the sustainability needle in a positive direction now and after you receive your doctorate?“
For this discussion, let’s think of sustainability as a sort of Pareto Optimality where the actions to make humanity as a whole better (or any specific nation or group) do so without making the earth or other parts of humanity worse off.
As someone who currently works to think and act holistically and plans to do more so in the future, sustainability is not just about the physical world. We have separated from Nature, each other, and even ourselves.
As we introduce holistic nutrition education, Health 4.0 technologies, and traditional medicine systems, we can eliminate food waste in situations where people simply are not in touch with their needs and eat too many food-like substances. Instead, they can begin to eat real food that they prepare easily and reap the health benefits. This should make no one else worse off (except Big Food execs maybe) and will help the earth because people will eat more real foods without synthetic pesticides and fertilizers.
Reducing chronic illnesses will begin to reduce the 90% of $4.1 trillion that the US currently spends on chronic illnesses (https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/about/costs/index.htm). This will help millions of Americans (and others around the world) to live more productive lives with higher quality of life. Again, no one will be worse off (except maybe Big Pharma and Big Medicine execs) and the earth could even benefit directly if any portion of those $4.1 trillion annually are poured into projects to clean up what we have already wrought.
If people move away from chronic illnesses through real food and substantive lifestyle changes, they will have fewer online social networks and more social engagements face-to-face and not Facetime. Mental health can finally get more attention if we are not funding sick care for chronic illnesses and people of all walks of life can enjoy a mental respite. Even if one doesn’t believe in the benefits of positive energy, the earth will still be better for it and only Big Tech and Advertisers might be worse off.
Whether one is Christian, Buddhist, Sikh, Jew, Muslim, Agnostic, or even Atheist there is a need to feel connected spiritually. Live and let live becomes much easier when human basic needs are met. Again, 90% of $4.1 trillion just in the US can help meet those needs and give anyone the hope that I associate with spirituality. We might finally please God by exercising some stewardship over what He has given.
Yeah… I like to dream big. If not, why bother to dream?
