Sustainable development requires personal development

Let’s face it: we humans are pretty wicked beings. We steak, we lie, we cheat, we deceit, we gossip. And most of the time, we have excellent justifications for acting like someone whom we would rather see locked up (if it wasn’t ourselves). 

We like to think of ourselves as smart and responsible. I know, I am. For example, research shows that we think that most other people are ignorant of social and environmental issues, while we ourselves - of course - are not. We think of ourselves as noble, while we assume others are not.

If our inability to “be good” is a systems error, an evolutionary joke, or plain coincidence is of no concern. What is of concern is that we acknowledge that we are the way we are. This is what should get us all super excited because we can do something to make it better. It is called personal development and one of the most popular genres people read (maybe, we all know that we are part monsters). 

For a truly more beautiful world, wishful thinking, vision boards, and meditation are insufficient. True personal development encompasses the real deal: to take responsibility for ourselves, to deal with reality as it is, to stop escaping into wonderland, to see our shadows and dark sides, to find ways to live with our traumas, to be aware of the biases that make our world into what it is not, to allow multiple perspectives, to stay in relation even when it gets hard, to listen truly, to know that we are never done. 

And true personal development is required for truly living an eco-lifestyle. Because to respond to the complex challenges we face, we have to have our shit together.