How we got to this!

Of the 7.5 billion people on the planet, 3.7 billion are under the age of 29.  Almost 50% of the entire world’s population is Youth.  1.8 billion are between ages 15 and 29, leaving 1.9 billion children under the age of 15.  This gives me great hope considering the limitless potential for positive change in the world.  Only 8.5% of the world population is 65 and over, and they generally are responsible for the majority of laws and governments that control your life.  Imagine the potential for the future if the majority of Youth cared deeply for themselves and for their future.

In spite of an overpopulated planet and unstable social and political state around the globe it is critical to remember the best work you can do for the world is to take care of yourself.  The truth is that you have no control over the population, other than the number of children you choose to have or not have; however you can control the safety and health of your own future wherever you find yourself.  Opportunities for yourself and those around you improve greatly when you take positive action in your own personal life.

Evolution, adaptability and success are well served when each generation is wiser, more liberated and more courageous than the previous generation.  I believe it is also true that the families from all generations before you truly want you to be more fulfilled than they were.

The Shifting Baseline Syndrome is a concept formulated by Daniel Pauly in 1995, in Trends in Ecology and Evolution.  The phrase describes an incremental lowering of social, environmental and health standards that results in each new generation lacking knowledge of the historical natural condition of the environment and their society.  This means that each generation defines what is ‘natural’ or ‘normal’ according to current conditions and their personal experiences.  The result is that, with each new generation our standards are lowered almost imperceptibly, and over time healthy living becomes redefined by industrialization, fast food, technology and dysfunctional politics.

This syndrome results in a continuous lowering of standards of nature from generation to generation.  Shifting baselines affect the quality-of-life decisions you make daily.  Shifting baselines are the chronic, slow changes around you such as the disappearance of species in nature, or the increased drive time from work to home, or the denatured food that you consume every day.  Because there is no longer a reference point for nature before human disturbance, each generation redefines nature and accepts degraded natural ecosystems to be the norm.  This can be applied to the state of your neighborhood from one generation to another, rising crime rates and garbage in the city and all over the planet.  Disrespectful attitudes on the street, corrupt politicians, higher cost of living and unaffordable housing costs all become the new normal, and people forget or don’t have any idea what has changed or been lost.

What are your observations about stability in your neighborhoods, schools and even work places? Sharing ideas and being able to talk about your situation is a great step toward all of us engaging in solving the problems and finding a way to balance and better health and possibilities.