Sustaining our Minds to Sustain our Future

“The eye and the hand, make some of a monkey and much of a man.” –Kaplan

Humanity is populated by visionaries. Evolution dictated humans to have advanced information processing and enhanced visual skills to aid in way finding, social connection, and obtaining resources to survive as fleshy beings inhabiting the world of the tooth and claw. In order to understand the framework for a sustainable future, it is important to analyze how the people who will create this future will likely think and act.

The Reasonable Person Model is one framework for understanding how humans can maximize their mental resources. Its three components include model building, being effective, and meaningful action. A simple example of where this model is used daily is in kindergarten classrooms. Ideas are introduced to help children build familiarity with a topic; naptime is scheduled in to help maintain clear-headedness and restore attentional resources; and they are encouraged to participate and try out their new knowledge with in-class activities and recess. I’m not saying that adults should go back to kindergarten, but if we apply the same ideas to how we motivate people and build societal expectations—in the end we might have a more productive and motivated human population.

People are at their best when they are well rested, engaged, and learning—and it is no accident that nature supports these qualities. By fostering an appreciation for nature at the start of children’s’ lives, we can help them see the full value of the natural environment. Encouraging appreciation of the outdoors through hikes, teaching them about different plants and animals and how to care for them, among other things can help build a generation that cares about sustaining the planet. Further, we can help encourage adults to appreciate nature as well in order to motivate conservational behaviors. Once humans have extended experience and an enriched cognitive map of nature and its benefits, they will be more likely to want to preserve the visuals and ideas they have in their heads. Thus, in order for a sustainable future to exist, we must first prime the human population to be sustainably minded inhabitants of this future—one that consciously enjoys and cares for the environment.