sustainable lives.

1. from "Days of War, Nights of Love" by the CrimethInc. Collective:

"The demand that radicals be free from hypocrisy, free from any implication in the system has the same effects as the Christian demand that people be free from sin: it creates frustration and despair in those who would seek change. Rather than seek to have clean hands, we should aim to make the inevitable negative effects of our life worthwhile by offering enough positive activity to more than balance the scales. This approach to the problem can save us from being immobilized by fear of hypocrisy or shame about our "guilt."

2. from "Arctic Dreams" by Barry Lopez:

"If there is a stage at which an individual life becomes truly adult, it must be when one grasps the irony in its unfolding and accepts responsibility for a life lived in the midst of such paradox. One must live in the middle of contradiction, because if all contradictions were eliminated at once life would collapse. There are simply no answers to come of the great pressing questions. You continue to live them out, making your life a worthy expression of leaning into the light.

3. Clea Duvall's video "It's Not Easy Being Green."

i believe that accountability is crucial. but i have also begun to understand that contradictions are a witness to life's complexity. if we abandon the idea of being "good" we may just become far more effective and creative people.