Enviromentalism, ecology, a girlfriend

[Blessed2]

My girlfriend is quite 'enviromentally conscious', she values ecology a lot. (She really likes value-based things and "living according to your values"!) She's vegan, she doesn't want to waste any products, she doesn't want to travel by plane anymore because of the high emissions. 

 

I don't resonate with that so much. I get the enviromental values and the global warming 'worry and stress', but I somehow don't resonate with the mindset.

 

I can't really explain it. It's not rational or logical, or even a value - thing. I just intuitively sense that worrying and stress is counter-productive in ecological sense. I think that if I stay in alignment, if I "go with the flow" without paddling against it, that's pretty much the greatest enviromental service one could do. Again - I can't explain it rationally. I just feel it, and the feeling is so self-evident that it's almost obvious for me.

 

To put it simply, belief in lack and insufficiency does not resonate, and I think that holding these beliefs are in fact counter-productive. For me it's more of a flow-thing. Tapping into the flow of Well-Being.

 

It also might bring some issues to our relationship. For example, I'd like to visit america at some point. Would really like to see for myself what the US and Canada is like. You have a really interesting history, culture and society. But it seems quite impossible to do this with my girlfriend if she doesn't want to travel by plane anymore.

 

Any thoughts / advice? What do you think about enviromentalism and climate change / ecological problems?

[Mandy]

I certainly wouldn't join her in her worry, as you are wise not to do. However, if you look at her viewpoints and feel irritation, or discouragement in thinking that her values will hinder your own dreams, I would express those emotions and move up the emotional scale. It can be tempting to think we are more evolved than someone else and in thinking this miss the opportunity to see through our own discordant thinking. 

 

Everyone wants the same thing at it's/our Source, and yet it appears like we want different things. We choose to create and focus uniquely. The things we want most seem to be the ones that we feel contrast about most strongly, so it seems we have a harder time aligning with them. This is her desire. Let her align with her desire and feel the discord when she doesn't.

 

Yes, the best thing for the environment is not concern but alignment with it, Love for it, communion with it. Love of nature is a great pleasure that has seemed to the mind to pale in comparison with that of loud shiny toys yet cannot be matched. Looking around, we've designed a lot of roads and cities and companies with only our minds and not our hearts. I get pretty angry about it sometimes. It's ridiculous. But that's not aligning with my desire. The people designing these things are nature too. 

 

She has picked out a big desire and you desire her. Align with your desire, listen to feeling and all that's left is love.  

[Phil]

Worry, stress, lack, insufficiency and bringing issues to the relationship are more indicative of resistance to being environmentally conscious. 

If you’re not in South America, you’re lookin at a 4,000 - 5,000 mile flight to the US which is about the same fuel efficiency as driving.

[Blessed2]

@Mandy 🙏

 

https://www.reddit.com/r/UrbanHell Just felt like sharing it with you.

[Blessed2]

6 hours ago, Phil said:

Worry, stress, lack, insufficiency and bringing issues to the relationship are more indicative of resistance to being environmentally conscious. 

 

What do you mean? 🤔

[Phil]

@Blessed2

Is your environmentally conscious girlfriend worrying, stressed out, focused on lack & insufficiency? (In regard to the topic of being environmentally conscious and the choices & changes she makes therein). Or does her being environmentally conscious resonate (for her)? 

[Faith]

On 6/7/2022 at 3:24 PM, Blessed2 said:

I somehow don't resonate with the mindset.

I don't either. I simply don't think about it. I don't try to "not" think about it. It just doesn't enter my mind. It's sorta like politics for me. I rarely think about that either. Unless ppl are talking about it around me or the news is on (not my doing) or its time for re-election. Otherwise, it doesn't enter my mind, usually. 

 

 

[Mandy]

I just love stuff like foraging, gardening, composting, etc. Much prefer running, walking, hiking, cycling over driving or ATVs, not that they can't be a blast too. I think that we find that our health and the planet's health are a common interest, what's good for us is actually what's good for the planet. The belief that this is a conflict (our wellbeing and wants vs the planet's) is very strange.

[Baller]

On 6/7/2022 at 3:24 PM, Blessed2 said:

Any thoughts / advice? What do you think about enviromentalism and climate change / ecological problems?

 

It's virtue signaling for the most part.  It's absurd to think your gf's individual actions make a difference when China is building 247 GW of coal plants.  It's simply feel-good crap for people who feel guilty for some - any - reason.   Sure, I'd like to see electric cars and non-fossil fuel power plants dominate as soon as possible, but I can't take that kind of asceticism seriously: it's more about personal psychology than results.

[Blessed2]

16 minutes ago, Baller said:

It's virtue signaling for the most part.  It's absurd to think your gf's individual actions make a difference when China is building 247 GW of coal plants.

 

This doesn't resonate either. The enviromentalists are not stupid. I think they're just not projecting blame and responsibility.