Brief Hiatus

Sorry loyal readers, but duty calls this week. Busy at the office after the two PJ shows and also preparing for the trip out to Tahoe this weekend. Combine those with a full day real estate class yesterday in Chicago, and the blog time is very limited. With that in mind, I submit for your reading pleasure a recently published article that a friend wrote http://www.associationforum-digital.com/associationforum/200908/ and I will include an unedited, unfiltered writing from my good friend Matt, whose wedding this weekend is the reason behind my travel. Good luck to him, his soon-to-be wife, and their newly formed family throughout the future. Here is his foray into general discussion:

Being healthy and green- have we gone extreme?

The day I walked into a Whole Foods and felt uncomfortable requesting a plastic bag was the day I realized we’ve gone too far. I think honoring the health of our environment and bodies is a noble cause, but not to the extent of where our society has landed today. I’m a good citizen- I recycle, I pick up my dog’s business and I try and use as little paper as possible. I also consider myself a progressive in the area of nutrition. I live in California so by default I eat healthier, my wife is a nutritionist and I take maqui berry (I bet 90% of you have never even heard of maqui berry, and at least 50% of you don’t know how to properly pronounce “acai”).

I want to reiterate I think being environmentally and health conscious is a good thing, and the point of my blog isn’t to rationalize that the lifestyle of an unbelievably obese person that throws his or her beer cans in with their trash is acceptable. However, in addition to just enjoying life more by appreciating some “old school” items such as a real hot dog or a non-hybrid automobile, I can actually point to some evidence where our extreme behavior is backfiring. Do you know people who drive hybrids feel more entitled to speed? The theory of doing good in one area and rationalizing bad behavior in another can be applied to everything. Eating tofu all day or using environmentally-friendly, all-purpose cleaner are not exceptions to this human behavior. Intentional or not, odds are you’ll make up for most positive actions with a bad one.

And then there’s the economical argument. Do you know that countries like India have given us the middle finger when it comes to conservation? So, until our ice caps melt and kill the world other countries will remain more profitable than us which will have a negative impact on the U.S. economy and consequently your life. Folks, you’re not going to be able to afford a hybrid when India is producing three widgets for every one the U S of A makes.

I want the best of both worlds (no pun intended). I want people to respect others and themselves. But don’t let us come to the point of warning labels on hot dogs (which is being discussed at this very moment). Eat healthy but not too healthy. Use public transportation, but own a Hummer if you want. Everything in moderation.