Is Studying Sustainability Selfish?
In a way I believe, sustainability is a rather selfish aim to have. I am looking at what I will get out of it; satisfaction, a sense of fulfilment and perhaps one of belonging. But along the way, something transformative will start to happen inside me. I will be looking at the world through an ever-broadening lens, I will be pondering questions of global or national or local importance through a multi-dimensional, all-inclusive perspective. I know I’m fresh. I know I’m young. And I know I may look back after a couple of decades and tell myself, well, for a two year graduate program, that was too tall an order anyway.A Quest Begun
But the reason I feel hopeful, for now at least, is because the School of Sustainability seems like a wonderful place to start a journey. A journey that may be too bogged down by expectations and ethics before it has even truly kicked off. But a journey that will expand my horizons and feed my curiosity.
But is Sustainability a Discipline?
This brings me to an interesting discussion from one of my classes just a few days ago: is sustainability a discipline? My instructors for the course seemed to think that it isn’t one. But then, is that such a bad thing? I’m beginning to think it is not. The path ahead may be murky and turbulent, but it’s all part of the game. A game against the odds of non-existence, to live better and longer lives and allow those who have no say, whether they are human or non-human, born or unborn, to do the same.And to Come Full Circle
So I return to the question with which I began: what is sustainability?The answer, I quite frankly believe, is anything you may want it to be. It could be an academic pursuit, a frightening notion, an abstract umbrella concept, a fulfilling activity, a spiritual discovery.And that is just as beautiful as it is terrifying.
Footnotes
1. | ↑ | Aaron: I wrote previously about some of the great things about this place. |
2. | ↑ | Aaron: I’ve written about some of my thoughts on the word Sustainability here and here, and its use in Spanish too. |