Which makes me think.... if it comes between instant gratification or long-term satisfaction, I think someone will chose instant gratification nearly every time (the Buddhists realize this as being one of the Four Noble Truths). Especially if one is desperate. No one living paycheck to paycheck will turn down a promotion, even if it's doing something she hates. They'll take the promotion and stick it out "until things get better." Instant gratification is more tangible, but unfortunately leads to discontentment and continual yearning. Whereas true contentment might only come through long-term planning. I guess it boils down to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. No one can move up on the pyramid until their most immediate needs are fulfilled.
Extending this idea further, I feel like we often times neglect environmental preservation because so many people are stuck in the lower levels of the "Hierarchy of Needs." If one can't afford to feed her family, she's not going to buy, or even care about, energy-saving light bulbs that are more than double the price of incandescent light bulbs (not to mention the "eco-friendly" products that are wayyyy more expensive than light bulbs). Most can't even consider leading an "eco-friendly" lifestyle because it's so expensive; it's a luxury... Almost a status marker. Environmental preservation, in this country, is an elitist system set up to fail. We've created a way of life that is unsustainable, and the sustainable options are just out of reach of the common person. But, how to we solve this? Make sustainable options more affordable? Subsidize "eco-friendly" products? Provide incentives and bonuses for companies who promote/make sustainable products?
I guess that's all just a start..... I just want to see that there's more progress and that "green living" isnt just a fad.
