source: www.csdesign.org/sustainable.html

I’m fresh from reading an excellent blog post on sustainability that does what is says it will and ‘demystifies’ the concept. Well worth a read.

A lady I know and I were recently working on a grant application and she noted that when something is ’sustainable’ it’s not really great. Her opinion, and I imagine the opinion of many, is that if you describe, say, a relationship as ’sustainable’ it doesn’t sound very good. As an aside, I must say that this particular person is quite interested in things looking or sounding ‘nice’, whereas I would say I am more a substance kind of person, less concerned with appearances. And there’s arguments for both sides of that coin. Without surface, there is not depth: some would say the superficial level of something is merely the first thing noticed. And I love things that are aesthetically beautiful, no doubt.

Back to the main point though, is ’sustainable’ enough? Or can we aim higher? Human beings are brilliant and eminently powerful creatures, so one may ask is it good enough to be merely sustainable?

Let’s take interpersonal relationships as an example. Some people may prefer intense and brilliant interactions, and not be so concerned with the long-term nature of a relationship. To others, there are opposite priorities. My best friend in high school was a gorgeous and gregarious blonde girl who made big first impressions and was extremely popular. I was the one that didn’t get noticed straight away but had deep and loving friendships with fewer people. Years after high school – throughout which I longed to be more like her – I received a letter from her. She admitted that whe had always wanted to be more like me, someone who grew on people as time went by. In the end I believe that both of our qualities are wonderful, and that we learnt how to adapt, and how the other one operated by observing each other. She taught me to ‘turn it on’ so to speak and I taught her a quieter way.

To me, sustainability is about taking less then you give. Although the concept is most commonly used in discussions about the environment at the moment, I would like it to be something we consider in all our affairs. I would hope that I give more to those I care for than I take. That my needs from them today do not proclude them from being my friend tomorrow. I would hope that what I do for people I love today might build both of us up and help us both to continue to grow.

So with this solar eclipse tomorrow, 22 July 2009, I do hope that we gain some deeper understanding of how to live truly and thoroughly sustainably, no matter how infantesimal the understanding is. Not solely with compost and vegetable  growing (not to deny those things are also great), but also with the relationships we hold. Personally, I will endeavour to weigh my own needs just slightly less than the needs of those I care for and give all I can to really be there for them. Happy sun-dance people.