Sustainability is a universal term that is multidisciplinary since it cuts across all cultural and organizational boundaries. The popularity of sustainability as a contemporary concept has increased since there is concern about the future habitation of humanity. The period of industrial development assimilated a capitalist form of governance that increased self-interest to the level that there was an imbalance in ecological, economic, and social aspects of life among people. The economic perspective rates wealth gaps, which concern the citizens’ well-being and the distribution of resources. The environment provides food to people; thus, its adulteration leads to a lack of sustainability while technology is transforming how people interact.
Concept Identification
The concept of sustainability and thinking about implementing change in society has been dominant. Wicker-Muirin elaborates on the issues indigenous communities in the Amazon forest face, and this relates to the self-interests of man (Wicker-Miurin, 2009). According to Hardin (2009), “Ruin is the destination toward which all men rush, each pursuing his own best interest in a society that believes in the freedom of the commons.” This refers to the effect of a lack of sustainability and thoughts about the future of the coming generation. Wicker-Muirin talks about Benki, a leader of the Ashaninka Nation, who witnessed the cutting down of indigenous mahogany trees of the Amazon (Wicker-Miurin, 2009). As a leader, one must think about the future of the members of the community as countermeasures must take effect to survive. Upon exposure, Benki returns to the forest with changes as he builds schools to teach children about the need to care for the forest, thus driving a forestation project that replanted trees in 25% of the logged land. A lesson to learn from this is that it is high time to think about the future generation by taking the responsibility of creating a sustainable environment.
Significance of the Concept
The concept of sustainability is paramount since it determines the future of the coming generation. Wicker-Muirin uses three examples to depict the need to take measures to bring change to the community; she mentions Benki, Sanghamitra, and Dr Fan Jianchuan (Wicker-Miurin, 2009). These three people have affected the three sustainability constituents, including ecological, environmental, and social issues. Sustainability is paramount because it addresses the current issues affecting the world and seeks to bring a state of equilibrium to reduce self-interest for positive development. Social and environmental issues are taking effect to change the nature of events transpiring throughout the planet. Leaders should use models that have proved to work and brought positive effects. A balance between the environment and human activities threatens survival as the resources are limited while self-interest increases degradation. Sustainability is about establishing a balance between different domains of survival to better the condition of the economy, environment, and society. Diseases can be contained when there are proper measures and policies. With sustainability, it is possible to create a habitat that presents mutual benefits to all people, as restrictions lead to efficient consumption and interaction.
Application of the Concept
Personally, the lessons from the two materials are life-changing since the modern world has embraced capitalism. As a person who has incorporated technology, it is essential to acknowledge that its dominance has reshaped the traditional forms of communication. There is enough research to back up how physical interactions are emotionally beneficial; they act as therapy (Reis, 2021). People have consumed internet content, thus living in a fantasy, and the technology giants have not relaxed in cheating newer content. There was a slogan where Netflix says that its competitor is sleep (Havens, 2018 ). Personally, falling victim to such content is inevitable since it is a marvel to watch the new releases, but it has affected how people live. Creating a sustainable environment is necessary by regulating how technology impacts people’s lives. Statistics show that the contemporary world is filled with mental illness since there are crucial elements of traditional forms of communication and interaction which people are leaving (Tomasello, 2010). Each new day brings an invention that affects the consumerism of internet content; examples include the infinite scroll, which can make a person stay on a single platform for hours (Lupinacci, 2021). Engaging with people and having physician talks is essential; change can start with any person.
Moral Obligation of Individuals and Societies
From the reading and Wicker-Miurin’s video, it is possible to conclude that individuals and societies have moral obligations toward other species, societies, and future generations. Among all living organisms, human beings have the mind to question the existence of an issue and implement measures to find a way to manoeuvre through it. Wicker-Muirin says that there are models who have shown others how to bring changes to the current events affecting the community (Wicker-Miurin, 2009). This shows that a person like Benki considered the position of his community and his efforts to change the direction taken. By taking the required actions, Benki managed to implement suitable intervention measures that led to the ecology of the Amazon forest (Wicker-Miurin, 2009). an ecological environment consists of different species of organisms, thus accomplishing sustainability and environment conservation. The same principle is applicable as individuals are masters of their destinies. The actions people take at the moment determine how tomorrow will look like. Thus, people should create a desirable environment that would benefit the coming generations by implementing suitable intervention strategies. The continuity of humanity should prevail, and this can occur if people take a moral obligation toward future generations, other species, and societies.
References
Hardin, G. (2009). 18| The tragedy of the commons. Research and Environmental Management (co-authored with Gerald Midgley), and contributed many book chapters, journal papers and policy briefings. Chris Blackmore, a senior lecturer in Systems and Environment at The Open University, is a founding course team member for the, 197.
https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=Y_piDgAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA197&dq=+Hardin+(1968)+concluded:+%E2%80%98Therein+is+the+tragedy.+Each+man+is+locked+into+a+system+that+compels&ots=aRN7GMcX_C&sig=XphYs7GgxxQwvPuKN4-V_eRY2hI
Havens, T. (2018). Netflix: Streaming channel brands as global meaning systems. In From Networks to Netflix (pp. 321-331). Routledge.
https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781315658643-30/netflix-timothy-havens
Lupinacci, L. (2021). ‘Absentmindedly scrolling through nothing’: liveness and compulsory continuous connectedness in social media. Media, Culture & Society, 43(2), 273-290. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0163443720939454
Reis, H. T. (2021). Gender effects in social participation: Intimacy, loneliness, and the conduct of social interaction. In The emerging field of personal relationships (pp. 91-105). Routledge.
https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003164005-8/gender-effects-social-participation-intimacy-loneliness-conduct-social-interaction-harry-reis
Tomasello, M. (2010). Origins of human communication. MIT press.
https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=T3bqzIe3mAEC&oi=fnd&pg=PR7&dq=ary+world+is+filled+with+mental+illness+since+there+are+crucial+elements+of+traditional+forms+of+communication+and+interaction+which+people+are+leaving&ots=3IvHYrkDFu&sig=vaQG4KuR1xMy22UYtpYv2pj37lc
Wicker-Miurin, F. (2009, November 18). Learning from leadership’s missing manual. TED Talks.
https://www.ted.com/talks/fields_wicker_miurin_learning_from_leadership_s_missing_man
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