Eco-Friendly People Are Compassionate With Others – But Is That News?

I was sitting at the train station, writing blog posts, and I happened to overhear one side of a cell phone conversation of the guy sitting next to me, who, before the phone rang, was working on his laptop as well.  Apparently, the young son of a close friend or relative had hit his head on a kitchen counter and needed to be taken to the hospital.  I couldn’t help notice how calm, helpful, and encouraging the man next to me was in his approach.

When he hung up, I leaned over and told him that.  “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop,” I began, “But that sounds like an alarming situation.  I commend you for how positive you were under circumstances like that.  You’re obviously a very good person.”

“Wow, thanks for the acknowledgement,” he smiled.

A  few minutes later, I happen to notice that he was editing a PowerPoint presentation on green gardening techniques.  His page noted three columns of approaches to fertilizing and pest control that he had designated “Green,” “Greener,” and “Greenest.”

Of course, there is no surprise here; there is a natural and strong correlation between people who are into sustainability and people who deal with other people compassionately. That’s a point that hardly bears noting.

A more interesting question is how the size of this demographic may be changing in our society.  Are the percentages of such people waxing or waning?  Is this way of life contagious?  Or is it becoming a lost art, and the world hunkers down under the pressure of the poor economic climate and commercial messaging that re-enforces the concept that winners look out for themselves and accumulate lots of expensive stuff?

I invite your comments.