Sustainability: The state of maintaining or increasing all forms of capital, including natural, social, and economic.
Over the past semester, I’ve learned quite a bit about sustainability through my coursework. Of course, we’ve mainly talked about sustainability in the context of countries and the world as a whole, and even when we spoke of individuals, it was in the context of striving toward global sustainability.
But, especially as I look back on this past year, I believe the idea of sustainability can be applied to the system of a singular person, even if we use the concepts of natural, social, and economic capital.
The economic capital is easy. A person needs money. A person needs resources. A person just needs STUFF. While there is definitely a limit to how much a person should have (it should not be a surprise to anyone I’m not a fan of billionaires), a person needs to be able to maintain a supply of resources they have to consume, or else their life will be unsustainable.
Social capital is also pretty self-explanatory. Humans are social creatures, no matter how much the world tries to tell us to be independent. We have to be around other humans from time to time, or else we certainly risk spiraling. We have to rely on others, supporting them and being supported back. In civics theory, social capital is vital to maintain and strengthen communities, and that includes the communities an individual needs as a system.
Natural capital, though, gets a bit more interesting. In traditional discussions about sustainability, natural capital is the environment, and is the capital which is often sacrificed the most for the sake of the other two. While I believe natural capital manifests slightly differently in the system of the individual, it is unfortunately sacrificed far too often: the individual themself.
I don’t need to beat a dead horse, but we are often asked to sacrifice ourselves for the chance at more money or to make people happy. Whether it be our health, our sleep, our sanity, or a multitude of other things, we don’t always take care of ourselves. And, of course, a system may not be always sustainable due to changing conditions, but if natural capital is never taken care of, sustainability will never be achieved.
So, what does this have to do with writing? Well, us writers (or any artists) are often stereotypically terrible at taking care of ourselves. Just take a look at any fictional writer (looking at you, Alan Wake), and notice that the caricature often becomes more of a reflection. We joke about staying up way too late, drinking too much coffee (or your non-water beverage of choice), and the constant pressure of performing well, but at least in my experience, it’s not always a joke.
This past year, I’ve experienced this quite a bit, with near-constant burnout since late February. Often, it’s brought me to the point where I so desperately want to create, but I no longer have the energy to do so. The past year has made me realize that I can’t continue like this forever, and I have to make a choice to become more sustainable within myself.
Just as my classes have gone on and on about how difficult a sustainability transition is in a global context, I know the transition will also be difficult in my personal life. But, an unsustainable system cannot go on in its current state forever. So, I will try and try again.
One of these days, maybe I’ll get it right.
Comments