There is no such thing as ultruism, only enlightened self interest - Paramhansa Yogananda. It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself - Emerson

Enlightened Self-Interest

and Climate Change

There are things we can do to help reduce climate change, for the sake of everybody, that are also good for us, as individuals. It is in our enlightened self-interest to do these things. An example is growing some of our own food, organically. There are numerous reasons why this helps reduce climate change, including that locally grown organic food produces far less greenhouse gases than industrial agriculture. And growing some of our own food has many benefits for us as well. One is that it will increase our food security, and our ability to help others learn how to grow food, in a future of inevitable food shortages as climate change begins to bite. Another benefit is that growing some of our own food reduces our food bill, which is one of our biggest budget outlays. That in turn enables us to pay off debt faster, then be able to live on a lower income and spend less time working. This is obviously good for us as individuals, but, not so obviously, it is also good for society in general in a number of ways. One way is that it gives us more time to spend with others building community. Another is that living on a smaller income means we pay less war tax (US Federal Income Tax), perhaps even none at all, which makes it a very effective and perfectly legal way of practicing war tax resistance. As you can see, a cascade of good effects for us and others can come from making one good change in our lives. Identifying what many of these enlightened self-interest changes are, and providing suggestions and examples of how to effectively embrace them, is primarily what my new book Living the Revolution - The Enlightened Self-Interest of Being the Change the World Needs is about. To read more about this book, including reading two free chapters from it if you wish to, please click here: Living the Revolution.