Rethinking Lifestyle

I was disappointed to find out Dr David Suzuki, such a supporter of sustainable living eats McDonald’s – he was seen with his ‘Happy Meal’ in Brandon last week!

But I’ll excuse him as his speech, delivered at the Manitoba Conservation Districts Association annual conference was full of the wisdom and inspiration we have come to expect from such an educated, experienced elder, and I would like to share some of his message which resonated with me as a Steinbach Transitioner.

He reminded us of our humble position in the animal kingdom – as much a member of the phylum chordata (possessing a central nerve cord) as fish, reptiles and birds and I am sure from time to time we can recognize what we have in common with those other groups. What makes us different is our ability to develop abstract ideas that don’t actually exist. We are exclusive in the animal kingdom in having foresight and being able to plan for future consequences, but the future itself doesn’t exist as any moment unlike the present and past. But despite this ability we seem unable to foresee the impact of our daily lives on future generations.

Another human idea is ‘the economy’ – another non-entity, it is a measure that has been put at the top of the policy priority list by many nations including Canada. Dr Suzuki encouraged us to promote the need for a different measure to be at the top of the list and suggested we follow Bhutan’s lead and adopt ‘gross national happiness’ at the core of policy decisions. One of the pillars of Bhutan’s happiness philosophy is care for the environment, and strict laws are aimed at achieving sustainable development. Consumerism and development are discouraged – no Coke or Pepsi adverts there.

So if we were to have happiness as a measure, how would we know when we are happy? Professor Ed Diener from University of Illinois has studied the psychology of happiness and found it to be a function of three key elements, none of which include money or possessions – having supportive social relationships, having goals from which we gain personal value and develop, and feeling spiritually connected to something larger than oneself.

On a practical level, this means spending time with family and friends doing things together; having goals at work and in your personal life that help you grow and learn and have the satisfaction of achieving something; and having some sort of spiritual meaning to your life that could come from your religion or from a connection to the environment where you value and respect your position and those of other animals and plants. I know what you are saying – ‘A McDonald’s meal with my friends makes me happy’, but I challenge you to invite your friends over to make the burgers yourselves with locally grown beef and veggies. This may take a bit of work and planning, but what a family goal it would be to have a ‘McDonalds garden – lettuce, onions, tomatoes for the relish, cucumbers for the gerkins, and just imagine the satisfaction and happiness you will feel having done even just some of it yourself.