Stoic sustainability
A connection can be made between the “life of Value” pursued by the ancient Stoics and the sustainable lifetstyle as we try to embody it in our modern days.
Sustainability is about taking responsibility
Sustainability is defined as meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
Brundtland commission in 1989
The Stoics believed that living a life of value meant taking responsibility for one's actions and their impact on the world around them. Similarly, sustainability is about taking responsibility for the impact of our actions on the environment and future generations. Adopting a Stoic mindset can help us balance our responsibility for sustainability with enjoying the pleasures and values of life, such as relationships and personal experiences, without compromising the ability of future generations to do the same.
Responsibility’s endless pit
One’s responsibility is as strong as he or she decides it but it can span far and wide.
One can expend the span of its responsibility in time and space. For example, you can feel responsible for yourself, your family, your town, your country etc. The spatial dimension of responsibility can extend towards all humans and beyond, all animals, all living beings and even the non-living.
We can also expand our sense of responsibility towards future generations. If we’re doing so, how far should we go? The next generation? the 5th one? the 10th one? Feeling responsible for the life conditions’ of others can feel like and endless pit…
Balancing responsibility with life’s savours
Taking responsibility for sustainability can be overwhelming and may feel like an endless pit of obligations. However, the Stoics believed that by focusing on what is within our control and accepting what is not, we can find balance and peace of mind. This can help us to balance our responsibility for sustainability with enjoying the small pleasures of life, such as relationships and personal values, without feeling overwhelmed or compromising the needs of future generations.