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I found these paragraphs inspiring enough to share. Just living is praxis when you live mindfully.
Source: https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/brian-a-dominick-animal-liberation-and-social-revolution
this post was submitted on 27 Dec 2023
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While this is certainly a valuable mindset and I agree with it wholeheartedly, it does necessitate being in a somewhat privileged position in life. Sometimes it's all we can do to make it through the day, pay our rent and bills, or keep a desperate hold of our shit jobs. Growing gardens, installing solar panels, or changing diets aren't always at the top of the priority list when there are other more basic needs that are still unmet.
Those are examples, not requirements. Do what you can. Anyone who judges you for not doing enough while you're struggling to merely survive is a shit person.
If there are small changes you can make to live a more sustainable life, do them. If there's nothing you can do, that's okay too. And if you're so weighed down by the struggle of mere existence that you don't have the mental energy to think about ways to change - that's okay too. We who have the privilege to act should act, and when we do, we carry the aspirations of those who wish they could act but can't.
If I meant to criticize anyone by this post, it would be the people in wealth and privilege, who could change their lifestyle to be more sustainable - who could be an example to their friends and family and neighbors by living their values - but who choose not to, because they believe personal sustainability is irrelevant when political and corporate actions have so much more impact on the world.
As a disabled person and caregiver, I agree. I still do what I can but some days it is incredibly difficult to even do the bare minimum.
It's hard not to get discouraged when my body betrays me, but for me I have to remember that my best will usually fall far below a non-disabled person's best... And this is ok. (I'm still not completely convinced that it is ok but it's what I tell myself.)
It's OK.
That's what I've been trying to learn from 2023. It started with a lot of energy and ambition and the former ran out early in the year. Been trying to be patient with myself and realize the best can simply be getting to the next day.
It is OK. You are not the problem, big corporations are, especially the fossil industry.
The thing is that the people who can not do it, mostly live a very sustainable lifestyle anyway. Subsidence agriculture is basically organic and a lot of permaculture is just repackaging that for a Western audience. Diets are also fairly vegan as meat and other animal products tend to be expensive and if they are not they are usually raised at home.
The people who need to change as their lifestyle is unsustainable have the means of actually changing it to a fairly large degree. Maybe not solar or gardening, but going vegan is certainly possible and even for the two first there are usually ways of finding a workable solution.
It also won't solve the problems we have with the environment and such. Not even if everyone did this. Go nuts, don't let me stop you, but more is needed.
Very true, but you have to try anyway. Small changes grow large over time.