Thus far, I have been thoroughly impressed and moved by "A Conservationist Manifesto." Part one of Sanders's "Manifesto" is a mixture of content: stories, statistics, anecdotes, passages from references, and flowery, passionate opinion. I especially loved the quote before the table of contents: "After you have exhausted..." by Walt Whitman. If every American felt the same way as Whitman (and was a person of beliefs translating into action) then our environmental issues would not ever deal with the aspect of "value," becuase everybody would be in agreement that nature is worthy of our time and money. But that's not real life, unfortunately!
Sanders most definitely has an objective...I do not believe he would have gone to the the trouble of writing the book if he didn't have an objective. His objective is to help people in America to a) see the wastefulness of their everyday lives, and to b) change their lives to benefit our world, socially, economically, environmentally, and in many other ways. Sanders is definitely influencing me. I haven't finished the book yet, nor have I made actualy changes in my lifestyle because of the book, but I am 99% sure that by the end of it, I will be inspired to do so.
I have always thought that I live like a true conservationist and environmentalist, and, relative to the country in which I live, I do. But as I'm reading Sanders, I realize that everything he says embodies what I've always strived for and idealized my life to be. There are certain aspects of my life in which I could improve greatly, the most prominent one being clothing. I LOVE shopping, as many women my age (and in general!) do, but have also always been aware that I really don't need most of the things I buy; I have plenty of clothing that offers me coverage and comfort.
Obviously not everybody that reads Sanders is going to change even one aspect of their lives. But I do think his objective will be reached to a certain extent. I believe that most people will probably read the book, think, "Wow, I realllly need to live my life that way!" and think about it for a little bit, and then forget. But if one considers "accomplishing his objective" to mean affecting even one person positively, then Sanders will undoubtedly accomplish it.
A good summary of what I think Sanders is asking of us can be found on page 20: people who are "informed by an understanding of ecology and a reverence for life."
I think that Sanders's objective is clear. He has provided the template for how true or wannabe conservationists should live their lives. The fact that he has affected you on such a deep level that you are willing to possibly change your lifestyle shows that individual efforts to alter people's habits in favor of the environment can have an effect and more people should strive to do so.
ReplyDeleteI believe thats a big part of why Americans would have such trouble adjusting to changes Sanders supports, since consumerism is so finely intertwined in the fabric of our society, day to day minutia has at least some relevance towards "the market".
ReplyDeleteI try to live in a sustainable way as well--reduce, reuse, recycle! But when I read Sanders, I can't stop thinking about how much more I really could do. It seems like you feel the same way. Do you think you will ever be able to live like he does, even as an environmentalist? I'm not sure I could. Should he lower his expectations, or should we do more? Where do you draw the line? Sustainable habits like recycling can quickly consumer your life!
ReplyDelete