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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
informative
medium-paced
It’s only a two because I agree that we need to consume less animal products. However, I think that was maybe 15 minutes of the entire audiobook? I’m shocked that an established author was able to publish such self-absorbed ramblings masquerading as legitimate literature.
challenging
informative
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
“It’s a shame that instead of having a minority of climate atheists, we have a majority of climate agnostics.”
This book addressed a lot of things I’ve been thinking about around climate change - specifically, the worth of individual actions when any hope of change seems to actually lie with governments and large corporations. The book argues that we need both, because individual actions on a wide scale will be essential for the continued existence of humanity, in addition to corporate large-scale change. How do we convince enough people that individual actions are worthwhile?
The layout of the book varies, which is common for JSF. The first 50 pages look at the emotional components of dealing with climate change - most of us accept it on a rational level and acknowledge that we’re in trouble, but the vast majority of us are unable to believe these facts enough to do anything about them. The biggest individual actions we can take are driving less, flying less, having fewer children, and eating fewer animal products. The easiest of these to achieve, for most of us, is changing our eating habits.
After laying out facts in bullet point form, the book moves on to “Dispute with the Soul,” which was probably the most moving part for me. It addresses rage and despair as fair, but as pleasures; fear of inconsistencies and imperfections in our efforts; concerns about the elitist nature of most environmental and sustainability movements.
I’m most moved by the idea of “ecological grace.” If we are going to live ethically, we have to live in such a way that our individual actions are taking into account the wellbeing of all people. Just because individual actions don’t make a huge difference, doesn’t mean that it’s acceptable to not take them.
I’m moved enough to try shifting my eating habits. Foer argues for eating vegan for breakfast and lunch, then eating whatever you want for dinner. This system of eating, he claims, is more effective in reducing an individual’s carbon footprint than a full-time vegetarian diet. Besides, he argues, dinner is usually the meal where we have our most meaningful memories and cultural experiences, and those are still to be valued. I’d argue that we can change this up from day to day, and I will be trying to have two vegan meals a day going forward.
…
“The price of hope is action.” (175)
“But a century is almost impossibly long period to have to sustain belief. Imagine what those years must have been like for Noah - every day being dismissed as crazy, every day committing his full identify (his labors, his resources, his purpose) to something that could not be proved. The further time separated him from God’s instructions - the more over there the command felt - the more difficult it must have been to maintain the necessary conviction. It must have required a constant internal dialogue, and a steady supply of apologies. Would civilians participate in blackouts for a war one hundred years in the future?” (193)
“It doesn’t require breaking the laws of physics - or even electing a green president - to select something plant-based from a menu or at the grocery store.” (199)
“What does it mean to live ethically if not to make ethical choices? Among these choices are what to buy, whether to fly, and how many children to have. What is ecological grace if not the sum of daily, hourly decisions to take less that one’s hands can hold to eat other than what our stomachs most want, to create limits for ourselves so that we all might be able to share in what’s left?” (202-3)
This book addressed a lot of things I’ve been thinking about around climate change - specifically, the worth of individual actions when any hope of change seems to actually lie with governments and large corporations. The book argues that we need both, because individual actions on a wide scale will be essential for the continued existence of humanity, in addition to corporate large-scale change. How do we convince enough people that individual actions are worthwhile?
The layout of the book varies, which is common for JSF. The first 50 pages look at the emotional components of dealing with climate change - most of us accept it on a rational level and acknowledge that we’re in trouble, but the vast majority of us are unable to believe these facts enough to do anything about them. The biggest individual actions we can take are driving less, flying less, having fewer children, and eating fewer animal products. The easiest of these to achieve, for most of us, is changing our eating habits.
After laying out facts in bullet point form, the book moves on to “Dispute with the Soul,” which was probably the most moving part for me. It addresses rage and despair as fair, but as pleasures; fear of inconsistencies and imperfections in our efforts; concerns about the elitist nature of most environmental and sustainability movements.
I’m most moved by the idea of “ecological grace.” If we are going to live ethically, we have to live in such a way that our individual actions are taking into account the wellbeing of all people. Just because individual actions don’t make a huge difference, doesn’t mean that it’s acceptable to not take them.
I’m moved enough to try shifting my eating habits. Foer argues for eating vegan for breakfast and lunch, then eating whatever you want for dinner. This system of eating, he claims, is more effective in reducing an individual’s carbon footprint than a full-time vegetarian diet. Besides, he argues, dinner is usually the meal where we have our most meaningful memories and cultural experiences, and those are still to be valued. I’d argue that we can change this up from day to day, and I will be trying to have two vegan meals a day going forward.
…
“The price of hope is action.” (175)
“But a century is almost impossibly long period to have to sustain belief. Imagine what those years must have been like for Noah - every day being dismissed as crazy, every day committing his full identify (his labors, his resources, his purpose) to something that could not be proved. The further time separated him from God’s instructions - the more over there the command felt - the more difficult it must have been to maintain the necessary conviction. It must have required a constant internal dialogue, and a steady supply of apologies. Would civilians participate in blackouts for a war one hundred years in the future?” (193)
“It doesn’t require breaking the laws of physics - or even electing a green president - to select something plant-based from a menu or at the grocery store.” (199)
“What does it mean to live ethically if not to make ethical choices? Among these choices are what to buy, whether to fly, and how many children to have. What is ecological grace if not the sum of daily, hourly decisions to take less that one’s hands can hold to eat other than what our stomachs most want, to create limits for ourselves so that we all might be able to share in what’s left?” (202-3)
dark
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
informative
reflective
medium-paced
reflective
medium-paced
The advice is: only eat animal products/meat at dinner and the more of us that do it the better but it starts with one person.
The delivery of this message is less than desired. The book is less about breakfast, and more about the author's reflection on our collective need to be..doing something? to change and make our world better.
It had some great prose. Just did not provide the impetus to do what the author wants you to do.
The delivery of this message is less than desired. The book is less about breakfast, and more about the author's reflection on our collective need to be..doing something? to change and make our world better.
It had some great prose. Just did not provide the impetus to do what the author wants you to do.
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced