Tuesday December 4th
We all
gathered around the big table at which we had had our very first meal on Long
Caye. Sarah and Blake went into more detail about their values, principles, and
practices. It was interesting to learn how they evolved. It is crazy to think
that they never read The Sustainability
Revolution because they had many of the exact same concepts incorporated
into their operation. They had the three C’s and Edward’s had the three E’s.
And their principles were nearly identical as well. At first it seems a bit
uncanny, but then you have to think that there is not really any other way to
do sustainability. You have to constantly consider the triangle of
sustainability otherwise real, lasting progress cannot be made. Through their
own trial and error and personal journey they have come to develop much of the
same understandings and practices discussed in Edwards’ book.
The things
that stuck out most to me were just some of the broader concepts they advocated
for or advice they gave. First was that if you are interested in pursuing some
sort of involvement with advocacy (as I am) you need to recognize that there is
a very high burnout rate and you need to learn how to deal with that, because
you can’t quit. That’s definitely something even at my stage of advocacy I’ve
experienced. I obviously haven’t been burned out, but there have definitely
been times where I have been incredibly discouraged.
The second
thing was that you want more than compliance you want commitment from people.
Sometimes I think that is easy to forget. In almost anything you do you don’t
just want have a superficial impact. Really getting through to people so they
become involved is critical in most revolutions/movements and especially the
one that I am fighting for. So often I get through to people on a certain
level, but not deep enough. And if I just coerce people into going vegan it
will be all that much harder for them and they will be so much more likely to
quit later on. It’s frustrating because that means you need to use different strategies
and usually you have to use tactics that have more of a gradual affect.
Lastly, I
appreciated their advice to not forget to have fun. What a seemingly random
piece of advice. It goes back to the burning out. Your own enthusiasm is so
important and your excitement for the future is critical to the promotion of
your cause. Recognizing the beauty and possibilities of the world. Not losing
sight of those things and having the ability to imagine a better tomorrow.
Perhaps that is not exactly what I meant, but that is part of how I interpreted
it.
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