I have a friend who is very environmentally conscious.
Every time, he sees someone using a lot of paper, or water or electricity, he gets angry and agitated.
He will quickly snap at the other person and ask him to not waste resources.
Is this strategy of snapping and getting angry an effective strategy?
Let’s dig deeper.
The question to ask is, “What is my friend trying to achieve through this angry outburst?”
If his goal is to get angry and express her anger and get an outlet… then yes, he is doing a good job at it.
But…
But…
I am guessing that ‘expressing anger’ is not really our goal.
The goal is to make the planet better.
The goal is to educate the person and guide him.
If this is the goal, then will snapping and getting angry help?
Umm… unlikely.
I have not met a single person who said, “Oh, your anger made me re-look at the way I am using water. Thanks for teaching me a lesson.”
Not a single human being.
In fact, the person has been offended and felt that his space has been intruded.
The data clearly shows that if you want to make change happen… if you want to make the world better, the solution is not to get angry at the people you seek to change.
The solution is to be empathetic and explain to them in a way that they understand.
It is not their mistake that they are wasting water… it is our mistake because we have not been able to convince them with care and empathy, that our environment needs to be protected.