Ecological Intelligence, A Bet For Nature
One of the major problems of our society is the immense environmental impact that our species produces. With our current lifestyle, we are exhausting the planet’s resources at great speed. The effects are starting to be felt as a warning signal for what is likely to happen. But, how can we ensure that this is avoided? One of the answers to this question is to improve our ecological intelligence.
The traditional concept of intelligence has evolved. At present it is much richer and it covers many other fronts. So for example no one today will be surprised to hear terms like emotional and social intelligence. One of the more recent variations of this concept could be the key to reducing our impact on the environment.
What is ecological intelligence?
In 2009, Daniel Goleman (author of well-known works such as Emotional Intelligence ) proposed a new concept which has since gained much importance in certain circles of psychology. We are actually talking about ecological intelligence. According to this author, it would be the ability to understand the impact that our actions have on our environment.
Thus, a person with low ecological intelligence would have a very poor vision of the repercussions of his actions on the environment and little ability to modify his behavior according to them. This would push it, for example, not to recycle or waste large amounts of water.
The author therefore proposes to start by thinking in a more developed way about the impact of our actions. According to him, every little gesture counts. Thus, buying environmentally friendly products or clothing made from recycled materials can help reduce our “ecological footprint”. Our existence would then become more compatible with the survival of the planet in the long term.
How to develop ecological intelligence
According to Goleman, our ability to understand the impact we have on the world is atrophied. This is because we are immersed in a consumerist culture that plays a role of curtain. We are unable to see that our actions affect nature. This did not happen in previous centuries when people lived and worked in the countryside. At that time, no one forgot the fact that its survival depended on nature.
The problem associated with having low ecological intelligence is twofold. On the one hand , the negative effects that we produce on the planet are dissipating. On the other hand, our own sanity suffers because of the artificial world in which we are immersed. According to various studies, the more disconnected we are from the natural world, the more prone we are to suffer from problems such as anxiety or depression.
For this, if you want to live a happy and lasting life, it is necessary to make a conscious effort to improve your emotional intelligence. But how do you get there?
The solution: become more aware
The first action that can be taken to improve your ecological intelligence is to gather all the information you can about your effect on the world. For various reasons, the majority of us are not aware of the environmental impact of our lifestyle. We don’t understand the cost associated with producing the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the maintenance of our homes or our cars …
For this, in order to develop this ability, the first thing to do is to be more aware of what you are doing. It’s about realizing the small decisions you make on a daily basis and their impact on the world and on society. Are you going to work by car or by metro? Do you buy green food or buy it in a traditional supermarket?
Simply learning about and thinking about the influence of your modern habits on nature will allow you to develop your ecological intelligence without realizing it.
Of course, the next step is more difficult to take. Unless your habits are already excellent, it will be necessary to start modifying them to adopt more sustainable ones. It can be years of work that will require you to almost completely reinvent yourself. However, the rewards are second to none: you will manage to leave behind a much healthier world for your children to enjoy.
Our thoughts Listening to voices as authoritative as that of Terri Swearingen asserting that “we live on Earth as if we had another to go”, …
