FROM COLD WAR TO GLOBAL WARMING - ENSLEY VAN DEN BERG

By Paul Column September 18, 2023

COLUMN COLD WAR, GLOBAL WARMING

I haven’t been brought up in a world where sustainable choices were made. It wasn’t even an issue you would think about. We were consuming unconsciously in a world where everything seemed possible because we were simply not aware of the impact of our behaviour. We weren’t ignorant, just not informed. We worried about the Cold War, not about our earth warming up.

After realizing that my generation set the premise for the mass exploitation of our fellow people, animals, and earth, I grew determined to be the change I wanted to see in this world. So, I’ve been living a plant-based life since the end of 2019, showing that you don’t have to be an impressionable, idealistic youngster to be emotionally (and rationally) open to some of the hidden horrors that unfortunately are part of industries across the world.

It was a lot easier than I expected. Simply be aware of the choices you make in life. Buy only the stuff you need, give your possessions a second life, and stop with the mindless consuming. Think, then act. I was surprised by the growing underbelly in the society of many small vegan, fair, and sustainable initiatives. It gives me hope and a sense of urgency to become part of it. So many creative entrepreneurs are closing the gap between living an ignorant or a conscious life.

The human race excels at putting stuff in mental boxes. ‘Oh, vegan is dull, boring, and not for me’, is our first thought. Sure, change is scary and sometimes difficult. But that is way too easy and this kind of behavior never brought anything good for mankind and the planet we live on. Change comes from radical fresh ideas.

Need some fresh ideas from Paul? He’s always on top of the latest and greatest.

This column is an excerpt of an interview I did for Shop Like You Give a Damn. Full interview here.