The questioning

Around a year ago, I was invited to give four small presentations on climate change to a few high school students. I considered my knowledge on the topic to be quite limited, but still I thought there would be something I could share to inspire the “younger” generations.

The discourse I prepared, in and of itself, was probably average. But the interesting thing came during the actual discussion with the students. It was quite surprising that, in all four talks, we ended up exploring the “role of individual action” in sustainability and climate change. Students were aware that the biggest impacts — in resource consumption, for example — were caused by big corporations rather than by individuals. As such, I could sense a bit of skepticism on the real benefits of our own individual efforts in our daily lives. I found it easy to worm my way out by saying that, in the end, it is the consumer who dictates their consumption patterns, which ultimately has an effect on how companies evolve, survive, or even disappear. A bit naive, but I like to believe there is indeed some inherent power in the people.

After those talks, I was determined to dig deeper into the issue. Not particularly on quantifying the potential impact of individual action in a complex and globalized world, as that would be an arduous and rather useless task, but in understanding what an individual can do to make a positive change, regardless of its macro scale impact.

As I’m currently working in the context of climate change, I started by questioning myself: What can we do, as individuals, to contribute to the development of a world that keeps global temperature change to well below 2°C? What can we do now, in this economic and political system, that would be relatively easy for anyone to follow? After going in circles on the topic for a while, my conclusion was: we need to consume less. Live a simpler life. Sounds easy, right?

Nevertheless, I realized that this sounds good and promising until we have to actually do it. I realized that neither myself, or the people around me, were following this ideal. And I like to refer to myself and some of the people in my close circles as example, since we are supposed to be “conscious”. Still, when we have the chance — as we are definitely not part of the 1% elite but still part of the few privileged — we involve ourselves in unnecessary consumerism. We are supposed to be worried about the climate, but still, we manage to get a new phone, computer, car, or a trip to a ski resort, for which we need to take a long flight, whenever possible. And I kept wondering: Do we actually need that stuff? Why are we so inclined to do this? I’m sure this is not due to a lack of information nor to the lack of will to do something positive.

No doubt there are several reasons. Desire and pleasure, social media and marketing, ignorance, egoism, status, and lack of understanding (which doesn’t necessarily mean lack of intellectual reasoning, but rather a non-interiorization of the problem) are just a few reasons I can think of. If we take all of these into account, we realize that the problem is actually quite complex. It was through this reasoning that I understood that the seemingly easy task of “consuming less” would require a more radical solution.

The spiritual and the revolution

“The spiritual revolution” is an idea which will hopefully result in being less controversial than that imagined by hypercritical people, and more radical than that imagined by the casual reader. In order to get the grips on what it means, I will define the words as they are meant to be understood throughout this text.

What is meant by spiritual? It should be said that I don’t relate this word with its closely associated terms like spirit or soul. Furthermore, this is not related to concepts such as God, or anything religious for that matter. Rather, try to see spirituality as a way to re-organise our priorities, to redefine what is important.

The other word is revolution. There is not much else to say other than I’m talking about a sudden, radical change which overthrows something old and replaces it with something new. In this case, it replaces the old with something better. An evolution of sorts.

If we put both terms together, the concept of “spiritual revolution” could start taking shape into a way to re-organise our priorities through a radical change which overthrows something old and replaces it with something better. What are we overthrowing and replacing? My idea is that we need to radically change and replace the whole framework where our priorities lie. In fewer words, and returning to the topic of consumerism, one possible solution I found to the “How can we as individuals consume less?” question is the following: we need our current framework of priorities to evolve.

Considering the past descriptions, you might still be wondering why I used the word “spiritual” in the title of this text. I have two simple answers: 1) because the term spirituality could unconsciously be associated with something of higher relevance, that transcends, that is important and worth pursuing, and 2) because for some people, there could actually be an element of spirituality associated with what will be discussed later on. Be warned that the word will appear sporadically throughout the text. This was a premeditated feature and has no other purpose than to play with its conscious and unconscious meaning.

Before moving forward, I think it is worth clarifying four things. First, I use the concepts of consumerism and climate change as both are related to my work and because they are trendy words. Nevertheless, I personally think that the same approach could apply for other sustainability, and even social, issues. Second, I’m not suggesting this is the only solution to our seemingly unnecessary need to consume, but just one of the changes which I believe can be part of our individual efforts. Third, that although I believe the text to be relevant for all people, I’m aware it addresses the problem from a privileged socio-economic point of view. And fourth, that the writing process has been more of a thought exercise, based on my individual experience, than a research or scientific endeavor. So take this text as it is.

The evolution in our framework of priorities

We aim for a change in our framework of priorities which is better for us as individuals and for the world. In this case, it is not only something that is better but something that is needed. In order for us to make a change, we first need to identify our present framework — our present tendencies — and then create a new one that re-signifies our view of reality. In the context of this text, we will relate the new framework to the act of “consuming less”, to put it simply, although I believe a new perception of things could modify our lives more than expected. The following, of course, is based on my own experience and opinion, thus, the analysis is inherently subjective.

Re-defining sources of pleasure

So, what would be our current priority framework? It seems evident that we value things and experiences that give us physical and emotional pleasure. Some of the things I’ve identified as sources of pleasure, which are relevant in the present discourse, include a high status(intimately related to power, self-image, and mating), comfort, and the “something new thrill” (which I relate to the very brief excitement we get when we buy something and makes us want to get home as soon as possible to open the box). I tend to think of these elements as being intertwined and happening at the same time. Even more so, I would suggest that in many cases, they all dictate our decisions without us realizing.

As an example, let’s imagine the acquisition of a new car. Of course there could be plenty of reasons for buying a car (e.g. it is more fuel efficient, or other one is getting old and I won’t be able to use it everyday), however, other reasons could include “because it’s bigger and faster” (comfort), with a unconscious element of “I want other people to see I have a good job” (status) along with “since I have a good job, desirable partners will become interested in me” (status). Examples may vary, but we can already see that, in some cases, status and comfort could be important reasons for buying extra things. In a deeper analysis, I associate these elements with an evolutive predisposition to prioritize actions associated with reproduction (which some companies have already identified and tend to exploit in order to sell more). It’s not easy to deal with such strong tendencies, and this is why I believe we need a revolution!

At this point, someone may ask: So why, in the context of modern life, are these things so important to us? I would suggest that in part it is because we believe that by having power, comfort, a “suitable” partner, and multiple material assets, we will be happy. It is not the intention of this article to have a philosophical debate about happiness as this represents a whole other narrative. Still, for the sake of this text, I’ll continue on the assumption that pleasure contributes to happiness; but, at the same time, the quality of the experienced pleasure has a direct relationship with the quality of our happiness. The suggestion here is to change the sources from which we get pleasure (those related to status, comfort, and the “something new thrill”) into new sources of better “quality”. I believe this process, by its own and with time, will bring shape to our new framework of priorities. Let me be clear that I don’t mean we should avoid pleasurable experiences, but we should rather redefine the sources of that pleasure when possible.

So, how do we change the sources of pleasure and into what do we change them? The first step is the most important one: self-reflection. We need to constantly ask ourselves Why do I want this or that? and Do I actually need it? This may appear to be a simple exercise, but it might be the trickiest of all. We need to be conscious and aware of ourselves if we want to be aware of the reasons behind our decisions. As an example: I feel the urge to go shopping and buy a t-shirt. Why do I want that? Might it be for the temporary feeling of pleasure that arises from buying something (“something new thrill”)? Might it be that I think I’ll look better (status)? Or might it be that I want new summer clothes so I’m not sweating as much when I’m outside (comfort)? Ideally, I would need to understand, at least partially, why I want it. By understanding the why, we might be able to actually determine if we need it or not. And if this happens, then we will be able to decide if we are going to actually buy it or not.

Now, let’s assume we identify that we want to buy the t-shirt to simply get some gratification from getting something new. Maybe a small gift to ourselves due to our hard work. And we ask, do we actually need it? And maybe we determine we don’t need it and we decide not to buy it. Sounds good. But doesn’t this mean that we are limiting our pleasure? I would say there is some gratification in understanding ourselves and in the feeling of contributing to a better world. To be honest, if this is not seen as a limitation at all, there is nothing to even suffer about it. But let’s assume it is not enough. This is where I suggest exploring other sources of pleasure — of a spiritual joy — which could, at some point, become root to a “higher quality happiness”. Or in other words, to a truer happiness. The sources are simpler ones but tend to be harder to see. But which ones are they? This is a critical point indeed and it requires an open mind. This is where the change begins to be tangible and where spiritual aspirations might come into place.

As a start, let’s consider that our own being is a miracle. Not the supernatural dogmatic “miracle” we are used to; let’s see it from the side of probability. Try to visualize the whole number of human DNA combinations that are possible, and interiorize the fact that your particular set actually came into existence. In a simpler image, imagine the series of events that had to take place so that your parents met, and each of your grandparents met, and each of your grandparents’ parents met, and so on. This seems rather improbable. But here we are. We are basically a walking miracle.

On the other hand, we are also impermanent,transitory. In other words, we die. It might be today, tomorrow, or in a few years. We are the walking miracle that dies. We basically “exist”, through our conscience, during a limited time window. If we assume the universe to be around 13.8 billion years old, and compare it to a best-case lifetime of 80 years, then we are basically alive for nothing. Still, here we are, now. Another very unlikely thing to happen.

What does this have to do with pleasure? Let’s imagine we do realize, even a little bit, that there was such little probability that our existence came into place and that we are, at this moment, alive to experience it. Wouldn’t that change how you see things? Wouldn’t the interiorization of these statements make us realize the opportunity we have?

To go deeper, consider your life, the life of your loved ones, and the fact that you actually had the chance to coincide in time and space. Would this change how we see things? Wouldn’t there be a big pleasure in the experience of having dinner with our family? Wouldn’t there be pleasure of having time to read a book or write a story? The pleasure of having something to drink and eat today? The pleasure of walking on the sidewalk of a nice street on a sunny day? The pleasure from the sound of leaves moving in the fresh evening breeze? The pleasure of smiling at a stranger? The pleasure of listening to music or looking at a beautiful piece of art? Or in a less cliché case, isn’t it great that many of us have our five senses to experience the world? If we can see, this is something pleasurable if we realize not everyone can. Or hear, or touch, or smell.

I’m aware this could sound a bit too ordinary. But is it really? Let’s take for granted that, regardless of the source, pleasure is going to be impermanentas well. This being the case, consider that observing and truly experiencing “daily” things can be achieved almost anywhere and anytime. Independently of the constant changing world, this becomes an almost continuous source of pleasure. It is just a matter of being conscious and remembering our uniqueness. And if we are conscious indeed, we might jump into a process from which a deeper happiness arises and which we wouldn’t experience otherwise. On the contrary, material sources, which at times are related to status, comfort, or the “something new thrill”, are inherently related to money. And in most cases, the “having money” condition is also impermanent(and I say “in most cases” as we seem to actually spend our lifetimes to avoid the opposite scenario, including creative and unethical ways). There’ll be times where there are no resources to buy something new, and therefore, we will be missing our only source of pleasure. It turns out to be a very limited source of happiness if we think about it.

I would like to clarify that I’m not suggesting in any way that we should change all of our sources of pleasure immediately, nor that we need to change all of them. This is likely to be a long process and not everything we base on status and comfort is unimportant. But we can start by changing a few things we don’t really need for some simpler, but more gratifying, pleasures.

At this point, I have to admit that I unintendedly ended up using the word “pleasure” in all cases above. I suppose it does explain well what we feel when we buy something unconsciously, but I don’t think that would be the case in the new scenario. Nevertheless, I decided to keep it that way in order to maintain a certain consistency that would allow you to compare both settings easily while making the reading fluid.

It should be noted that there are plenty of concepts, other than pleasure, that are woven into our modern-archaic psyche which ultimately influence our decisions. Therefore, I’ll discuss two more elements that can be added to our new priority framework; these two are: the “connection with others” and the “possibility of giving”. Both may also fall on a spiritual context and potentially complement the pleasure section. The first one is more of an awareness element, while the second provides an easy alternative to buying.

Awareness of our connection with others

I think we are connected to others. In fact, I think we might be connected to everything. But, what do I actually mean by connected? I interpret this “connection” with respect to two definitions: 1) in terms of thinking that we are the same, or almost the same, and 2) in terms of causality (the idea that actions have consequences and that those consequences have impacts on ourselves and others). In order to explore this idea of connection, I will start with the most extreme scenario and build from there to a smaller, more personal, scale. The purpose is opening multiple doors from which people could identify or feel a connection to.

Let’s imagine we are connected to the cosmos, to the universe. We can think of the Big Bang as the inflection point from which everything came from. Or we can simply think of ourselves as made from the same material as the stars, planets and galaxies. Even further, if we imagine the Butterfly effect to be true, then even a “small” disruption on Earth could potentially have a considerable effect on the cosmos. There can be a great sense of connection to reality this way.

Back on the Pale Blue Dot, we can then think of all people being connected to each other. You might already have a notion of this arising from our humanly-evolved empathy (spiritual awareness?). But we can also see it from sharing specific characteristics: as a mammal, as a species, as primates, as the result of millions of years of evolution, as being ignorant and deluded. Even more, we can also easily observe that our actions affect others. And what better example than climate change to represent this. Thankfully (not really), this first-time global challenge is showing this connection. We are all participants in the same game: the “do-ers” and the “affected”; all, rich and poor. What happens on one side of the world affects the other side. Here, we should also include the connection with nature: with flora and fauna, rivers, mountains, oceans. Some of us know that spiritual feeling we get when in the presence of a beautiful landscape! I think there is no need in exploring further the unquestionable relationship between humans and nature — our planet — . The whole sustainability concept arises from there.

In a more personal example, we are connected to our family, our friends, our pets, and basically everyone we know in one way or another. This seems pretty obvious. However, we are also directly connected to people we don’t know. Think of the food you are buying at the market or at the store. Someone had to work the land, with all the effort that represents, so that we can get nourishment. Their actions are directly connecting them to us, and we, by consuming what they produced, are connecting ourselves to them. The same could go for lithium miners, and their communities, which provide resources (sometimes with big costs) so that we can enjoy technologies like mobile phones or electric cars. The examples can be varied and are big in numbers. What should be clear is that our specific demands ultimately translate into specific conditions that affect us and other people.

So, what does this “connection” have to do with buying less and a new framework of priorities? I would like to think for the answer to be partially evident by now. But if not, I would put it like this: the invitation is to expand our priority framework to include not only our own benefit but also that of our neighbor, of people, of others. What I do, what I buy, will affect people. What is good for me will be good for others. In the long term, if we develop this conscious awareness, through time and through discipline, I believe the result will be that of true empathy.

At this point we could expand our questioning of things like this: Why do I want to buy this or that? Do I really need it? And, If I buy it, what effects will it have on me and on others? Undoubtedly, in most cases, there won’t be a correct answer to our questioning. In our globalized reality, environmental and social factors, among others, are part of the same phenomena. The idea is not to always have an answer, but to simply be aware. And by being aware, we are able to make conscious decisions.

Exploring the possibility of giving

The “possibility of giving” is a result of a generous mind. And this generous mind may have sparks of existence when we are conscious of our connection to others and when we are conscious that pleasure can come from spiritual sources. In other words, the “possibility of giving” nurtures in our awareness and the mind developed by the previous two points. There is a possibility that giving is simply the consequence of not needing as much.

Evidently, the concept of the “possibility of giving” is based on giving. However, we may think that we are only able to give if we have something to spare. I’m aware “having something to spare” is a subjective statement. So to keep a practical approach, I would suggest simply assuming we have something to spare when we “know” we have something to spare. This requires, of course, that we try to be true on our own assessment. In any case, I decided to call it the “possibility of giving” and not just “giving” as the action in and of itself will depend mostly on the actual possibility of doing it.

Now, let’s assume we have resources to spare. Could it be that we didn’t buy the lamp we thought would look nice in the dining room since we realized it was completely unnecessary. It is up to you to decide if you have the spare resources for something else or not. But let’s assume you decide you do have spare money and you want to change its initial purpose. How can we do it? An example: give the spare money to someone who might need it more than you. All, half, or just a little bit and save what is left. How to scale it up? Save half of it and spend the other half on something that will give you a simpler, but more valuable, experience: get a bus ticket so you can hike a nearby mountain or get some ingredients and take them to your grandfather’s house so you can both cook together. In this last case, you are giving the most valuable thing to someone else: time. You could also save all the money and give a bigger sum later on to a “true cause”. In the end it is up to you and your own judgement. There are no musts and there is a big space for creativity. Then again, the objective is not to feel like you are limiting yourself but the other way around. That you are actually free from what was taught to us by family and society. It is not a limitation, but a natural consequence of being conscious.

With this final point, we can then complement our self-questioning again: Why do I want to buy this or that? Do I really need it? If I buy it, what effects will it have on me and on others? and finally, Can I do something else which is more valuable? Just being able to ask one of these questions to ourselves is already a big achievement.

Final words

So, what is the new priority framework proposed here? What is the revolution about? How can we consume less? In a few words: it is about going from unconscious decisions to conscious ones. In a bit more detail: it is about moving from our default framework which prioritizes short term pleasure based on status, unnecessary comfort and the “something new thrill”, into one that prioritizes more subtle and meaningful experiences, that considers our connection with others, and that opens the possibility of giving instead of accumulating. All of this should not be seen as a limitation, but rather an experiment, an opportunity for a new way of seeing reality. A way to have a simpler life.

The “how” is the tricky part and requires attention and discipline to a certain degree. The basic recommendations are the following: be conscious of yourself, your thoughts, your tendencies; question your current priorities and the framework where those rest; and take conscious decisions based on something you consider important or even spiritual.

<>Going back to the initial paragraphs: Do I think individual change matters? Yes I do. I would say it is the most important. For some people, it would represent having a simpler and happier life while having a positive impact in the world. But, what if leaders and owners of big corporations had a transformation as well? What if their priorities evolved to include, not just their own wealth, but also global prosperity and human development? What if inequality was consciously and willingly reduced?

Unfortunately, I do believe the whole revolution I’m talking about is not possible solely through intellectual understanding. And I realize that this text is nothing more than an intellectual tool. However, I do have the hope that, somehow, these words can work as a bridge that connects the intellectual reasoning to something more deep. Call it what you will.

Life can be simpler than we think. We can enjoy and be happy with the simplest conditions if we keep our eyes open to beauty, and if we redefine the purpose and meaning of our own existence.