does having a social conscience also depend on having an environmental one?
to those who proudly show off their calling card collection of social causes... "charity and consideration extended to all the world's people and just causes"... is there something missing if there is not also a card present in that portfolio showing concern for the earth?
can one truly care deeply for fellow man without caring at the same time about the place we live? or are the two separate concerns, for separate minds and hearts?
separate, or similar?
andy_goodnight2009-01-14T15:19:54Z
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Good question, I think opinion is changing. Certainly if you are concerned about the developing world you cannot escape from env issues. Whether it is loss of rainforest, drought, rising sea levels, because people in poor countries live so much closer to the earth than we do, you cannot consider one without the other.
I dont think being either socially or environmentally conscious relies on you being both. However, if you go to the length of being concerned about one I dont see how you cannot be aware of the injustices involved with the other.
Can you care for man and not the env, yes you can, but it rather misses the point that we are stuck together and it would be foolish to neglect either
I think they often go together, but not always. I think it's great when you can do something that affects two (or more!) causes at once. An example: carpooling saves gas (environmental), saves money (frugality, simple living) and has social benefits (less traffic congestion).
I wrote a little about that here, about conserving gas even when prices go down:
That's really philosophical of you! I love your thinking!
People who love nature are more apt to love all living beings--except those who don't love the Earth! so... there does seem to be a war against people by environmentalists, and a war against environmentalists by people who are obsessed with, um, people.
When we love something too much we often hurt it..(them).