Defining “Sustainable Living”

Long-handled words like “sustainable” are best handled by splitting them up into managable chunks. For this reason, ax the term in half right between the “n” and the “a” that follows. Next, place the tail at the beginning and you come up with “able [to] sustain.” Most of us can digest the word “able”, so we will move on to “sustain”.

My first collision with “sustain” occurred on my mother’s 3-keyboard electric organ. I was the 8 or 10-year-old boy exploring all the beeps, toots, honks, and other cacophony of what was the fore-runner of the modern electric keyboard. I just had to try out every option! What boy wouldn’t?

From banjo to drums to trumpets to instruments unknown, I listened to each button’s distinct character. But, there were a few that “didn’t do anything”. “Sustain” was one of them.

I would play a note, and in mid-note push the “sustain” button. Nothing happened. Not the slightest variation in the tone could be noted. My young mind concluded that either that button did not work, or “sustain” did not do anything perceptible in music.

The problem was not the organ’s. It was entirely my fault that I did not consult the 5-inch-thick Unabridged Webster’s Dictionary that was the arbitrator in the sometimes nightly Scrabble games. Had I listened to my teachers and text-books—who constantly said “Consult the dictionary if you do not know what a word means”—I would have learned that “sustain” has nothing to do with the pitch of a note, but it does affect its length. After letting up on the key, the note would have continued sounding for an extended time, instead of ceasing immediately upon the withdrawal of my finger.

Many years would pass with me sitting in darkness as to the meaning of sustain. Such happens to folks who are too lazy to use the dictionary!

Rather than give Webster’s official definition of “sustain”, I will give you a visual definition. Ready?

Sustain means “to sustaaaaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnn.”

Got that? The corncob English definition of sustain is “to keep hanging in there”.

Our studies therefore lead us to conclude that “sustainable living” means “living in a manner that makes it possible to keep haaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnnnging in there”.

Our vision for sustainability is more focused on a week’s trip to visit grandpa in Maine. No one has to teach us that we need to take enough grub and water along to sustain us for seven days. Oh, and we will need a change of clothes, money to buy some gasoline, diapers for the baby, etc. When we arrive at grandpa’s, we do not foolishly spend all the money we have, because we know that we have to buy gas to get home.

That is sustainable living: managing resources in such a manner as to make it possible “to hang in there” until we get back home.

Now that we have the basic idea in mind, we need only extend the principle to our whole life; and to the fact that our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren will appreciate it if we think of them. After all, are you not grateful that your grandaddy did not use up the last of the coal in the world, just to make electricity to run the air-conditioner in his doghouse?

Until next time…

—Mike Atnip