Choosing My Father’s Ties: Changing Systems

Posted on February 10, 2012 by zoeweil
When I was a child, my father would come into my room most mornings and ask me to choose which tie he should wear with the suit he had on that day. He usually brought two ties into my room from which I could choose. As I got older, sometimes I felt that neither choice was ideal, and I’d head over to his tie rack to suggest a better option. I adored my dad, and I took my job helping him with his ties quite seriously.

As a humane educator, my job now includes offering other people choices, although the choices revolve around more pressing issues than tie fashions. Offering positive choices is the 4th element of quality humane education, and it’s a critical component to creating a humane, sustainable and peaceful world. Humane education explores the greatest challenges of our time (e.g., global warming, resource depletion, human rights, institutionalized animal cruelty, habitat destruction, overpopulation, economic stability, etc.), and it offers positive choice-making as an integral component of changemaking. Like my father, I try to offer people a couple of choices that are reasonable and good, but sometimes no such choices are available, and my students must head to the “tie rack” of choices to find something better.

When there’s nothing quite good enough on the tie rack – no pattern or fabric that fits – system-changing and creativity are paramount. I never faced an insoluble tie choice with my father, but there were days I lingered for a long time, uncertain about the best choice. The best choice might have entailed designing a new tie.

We need to design new systems to solve many of our entrenched problems. The key is to recognize when a choice is good enough and when to engage fully in the process of designing a MOGO (most good) choice because none are suitable. In my book, Most Good, Least Harm, I offer 7 keys to operationalizing the MOGO principle. Key 5 is “Model your Message and Work for Change.” In other words, wear the best tie you can while designing the best tie possible. We must all engage in system-changing — whether through our work, our volunteerism, or our charitable donations — in order to create the systems that make all our choices MOGO ones. And, at the same time, to the greatest extent possible we must model our message relying on what “ties” currently exist.

For a humane world,

Zoe Weil, President, Institute for Humane Education
Author of Most Good, Least Harm, Above All, Be Kind, and The Power and Promise of Humane Education
My TEDx talk: “The World Becomes What You Teach“

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Making MOGO (most good) Choices: The True Price of Bottled Water

Posted on November 17, 2011 by zoeweil
Image courtesy of stephendepolo
via Creative Commons.

For my blog post today, I’m sharing a recent post I wrote for One Green Planet, a blog dedicated to ethical choices. Here’s an excerpt from Making MOGO (most good) Choices: The True Price of Bottled Water:

“When I was growing up, there was one kind of bottled water – Perrier – reserved for very special occasions. Today, bottled water is ubiquitous. You can find shelves of it in convenience stores and supermarkets, filling up vending machines, and sitting in cupboards and pantries in homes across the U.S. There are numerous brands, some of which appear to be spring water even when they’re not (e.g., Poland Springs), some “artesian,” – whatever that means (e.g., Fiji), some making no special claims beyond the seductive ads that urge us to buy them, which is good because they are just purified tap water (e.g., Dasani and Aquafina).

There is a cost to bottled water beyond the dollar price, and in this series on the True Price of everyday products (such as a cheeseburger and a T-shirt), that examines the effects (both positive and negative) of our choices on ourselves, other people, animals, and the environment and considers alternatives that do more good and less harm, it’s worth taking a closer look at bottled water.”

Read the complete post.

For a humane world,

Zoe Weil, President, Institute for Humane Education
Author of Most Good, Least Harm, Above All, Be Kind, and The Power and Promise of Humane Education
My TEDx talk: “The World Becomes What You Teach“

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Making MOGO (most good) Choices: The True Price of a Cheeseburger

Posted on August 29, 2011 by zoeweil

For my blog post today, I’m sharing a recent post I wrote for One Green Planet, a blog dedicated to ethical choices. Here’s an excerpt from “Making MOGO (most good) choices: The True Price of a Cheeseburger”:

“We eat many times each day, and there is no other daily choice that has a bigger impact on ourselves, other people, animals, and the environment than what foods we put into our bodies.

One of the staples of the western, industrialized diet is the ubiquitous cheeseburger. Many people know that cheeseburgers aren’t the healthiest of food choices. Some have heard that cheeseburgers take a hefty environmental toll. Animal protection advocates are aware of the cruelty in the beef and dairy industries. A few know about the human rights abuses that occur on industrial farms and in slaughterhouses. So what is the true price of a cheeseburger?

The effects on you

Let’s start with the positive effects of a cheeseburger. Most people eat cheeseburgers at fast food restaurants. They are convenient, tasty (at least to many people), inexpensive (because we pay for them through subsidies financed by our tax dollars), and filling.

The negative impacts on us occur over time, so we don’t notice them when we consume a burger, but eating a diet that regularly includes cheeseburgers can lead, over time, to heart disease, strokes, various cancers, weight gain and obesity, diabetes, kidney disease, and even impotence. Regular intake of high fat, high cholesterol foods such as cheeseburgers has been implicated in the major diseases of our time, killing around half a million people every year in the United States according to numerous epidemiological studies.”

Read the complete post.

For a humane world,

Zoe Weil, President, Institute for Humane Education
Author of Most Good, Least Harm, Above All, Be Kind, and The Power and Promise of Humane Education
My TEDx talk: “The World Becomes What You Teach“

Image courtesy of Hotels in Eastbourne.

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My Failure to Live By the MOGO Principle on Flight 35

Posted on May 27, 2011 by zoeweil

This past weekend I had a long trip ahead of me to Seattle for Green Fest. Although thrilled by the opportunity to speak on the main stage about humane education, I was dreading the travel. In the best case scenario, I would have a 17 hour trip, with three separate flights and a five-hour layover in Boston. Plus I was stuck in a middle seat across the country.

When, about an hour from Portland, Oregon, a flight attendant asked if there were any medical personnel on board, I didn’t think much of it. I’ve been on lots of flights when this question has been asked, and it’s never been a big emergency. This time, however, it was. A man a few seats behind me had had a heart attack. Within minutes, he was laid in the aisle as two doctors tried valiantly to save him with CPR and oxygen. For 25 minutes they worked, shouting things as he flat-lined, contorting themselves in the aisle and standing on seats and armrests to position themselves properly during a choppy flight.

We made an emergency landing in eastern Washington, and the EMTs came on board and dragged the man down the aisle and off the plane on a cloth stretcher, but when I spoke to the doctor who was performing CPR on him (a cardiac anesthesiologist), he said that the man wasn’t going to make it.

And while we were a quiet group of passengers who didn’t interfere, intervene, or get riled up ourselves, we were also strangely unengaged. I talked to the two men on either side of me about what was happening, but as I felt tears ready to stream down my face, I quickly suppressed them. That a man was dying in our midst and the best we could do was sit quietly, was surreal. And even as I felt helpless and horrified, I also felt myself focusing selfishly on the delay in the flight and worried that I wouldn’t make it to Seattle that night. And then I found myself horrified that I could even be thinking about that while a man lay dying.

When I missed my connecting flight – the last to Seattle that night – I did my utmost to ensure that I got in line quickly to get a hotel, and took a seat at the front of the hotel van so that I could get in line quickly for a room at the hotel desk. I had a long weekend of tabling and speaking ahead of me, and I knew I’d be sleep-deprived enough without waiting in a long line for a bed for the night. The New Yorker in me came out in no time. And indeed, I was near the front of the line, and, it turned out, the last to be able to check into that particular hotel. The doctor who had worked to save this man’s life was one of many who would be transferred by the van to another hotel to wait in another line, only to awaken in a few short hours to continue his trip for a conference in Vancouver. I never even thought to let him take my spot. I regret that. I regret my lack of generosity. Oh, I had my big emotional reaction, sobbing the next morning as I thought about this man’s death, but I couldn’t even muster enough gratitude for this doctor’s efforts to give him a room sooner the night before. Granted I, too, had a big day and weekend ahead of me, but really. He had tried to save a man’s life, while I sat quietly in my seat following instructions.

So now on my flight back home, I’m doing a bit of soul-searching. I’m thinking of the MOGO principle – to do the most good and the least harm to myself, other people, animals, and the environment – a principle I try to live by. I put myself ahead of everyone else when I disembarked that night; I did not live by a principle I profess to hold dear.

Zoe Weil, President, Institute for Humane Education
Author of Most Good, Least Harm, Above All, Be Kind: Raising a Humane Child in Challenging Times, and The Power and Promise of Humane Education
My TEDx talk: “The World Becomes What You Teach“

Image courtesy of sylvar via Creative Commons.

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Humane Education & Star Trek: Envisioning a Better World for All: My Interview on Conversations with Maine

Posted on April 15, 2011 by zoeweil

I’m delighted to share my interview with Frank Ferrel, host of Conversations With Maine, which recently aired on the Maine Public Broadcasting Network. We talked about humane education, the MOGO Principle, my family, Star Trek, the work that I do on behalf of the Institute for Humane Education, and the challenges and joys of making choices that do the most good and least harm for all:

If you enjoy this interview and think it’s valuable, please share it with others so that they can learn more about humane education and the power in the choices that we all have to create a better world. I welcome your comments, as well.

Zoe Weil, President, Institute for Humane Education
Author of Most Good, Least Harm and Above All, Be Kind: Raising a Humane Child in Challenging Times
My TEDx talk: “The World Becomes What You Teach“

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MOGO Hero: Lynn Henning

Posted on April 30, 2010 by zoeweil

I’m going to start a new theme in my blog posts – MOGO Hero. Periodically, I’ll highlight a modern-day, ordinary hero whose efforts do the most good (MOGO). Today, I’m beginning with Lynn Henning, a Michigan woman who just won the 2010 Goldman Environmental Prize for North America for her work to fight CAFOs in her region.

Take a look at this short video:

Zoe Weil
Author of Most Good, Least Harm: A Simple Principle for a Better World and Meaningful Life and Above All, Be Kind

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The MOGO Principle is Empowering

Posted on March 3, 2010 by zoeweil

Many people believe that exposing oneself to atrocities and horrors in the world will be too burdensome to bear, and that the call to make choices that do the most good and the least harm to oneself, other people, the environment and animals (the MOGO principle) will be overwhelming. My last post may have added to that perception, demanding as it did, such commitment to the art of communication and action.

So in this post, I want to share with you what some have said about embarking upon living according to the MOGO principle. These quotes come from my book, Most Good, Least Harm, and were written by students and participants in the Institute for Humane Education’s MOGO programs.

“Living according to the MOGO principle has made me more aware that every decision we make every day, no matter how seemingly insignificant, adds one more drop to the well of our lives. Every time I make a decision to help rather than hurt, my life is expanded and made more joyful. I have found clarity about what is truly important, and therefore have freed up an enormous amount of time and energy to use to better purposes. I have become aware of how often in the past I did not have the information I needed to consider how others’ lives were affected by my every decision. I am grateful to realize that my desires do not entitle me to add to another’s suffering. As a result, my desires have aligned more closely with my hopes for a better world.”
- Lynne Westmoreland

“It can be easy for someone working for change to vilify other people who contribute to the status quo by way of their choices. It can be even easier to beat oneself up for going back to old habits now and then – perhaps due to lack of a better choice in a given situation, or perhaps just being tired from fighting existing systems constantly. Thus, for an agent of change, the MOGO principle is a welcome break that allows us to be kind and understanding to ourselves and others. In my life, the MOGO principle allows me to be at peace while working to make a positive difference. It provides a framework that allows me not only to self-reflect and set goals, but to connect with others and create change that benefits all.”
- Kumara Siddhartha, M.D.

“Because the MOGO principle asks us to take responsibility while striving for balance, I feel encouraged to do the best I can without castigating myself for minor failures. I try to make the best choices based on what I currently know, and I strive to learn more so that I have more knowledge upon which to act.”
- Amy Morley

“The MOGO principle has helped me define my values and hone in on what types of actions best suit me. I’m better able to express my opinions while being sensitive to the needs of others. I now regularly communicate about challenges that concern me, and I work on legislative issues. I’m much more confident sharing my views and passing on information to colleagues, and have been encouraging my coworkers to take action on the issues that concern them, too. I’ve initiated a couple of environmental actions at my workplace…and am challenging myself to take on more leadership roles. Plus, I’m more self-reflective and have a greater sense of community now.”
- Monica Keady

I hope these quotes inspire you to embrace the MOGO principle despite initial trepidation!

Zoe Weil, President of the Institute for Humane Education
Author of Most Good, Least Harm, Above All, Be Kind and Claude and Medea

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MOGO is for Pessimists, Too

Posted on January 27, 2010 by zoeweil

Here’s another excerpt from my book, Most Good, Least Harm: A Simple Principle for a Better World and Meaningful Life, that I wanted to share with you.

“Some may be pessimistic that MOGO (most good) living can truly change intractable problems and create a peaceful, humane, and healthy world. Yet the MOGO principle is not just for the optimistic. Walking the MOGO path is joyful and meaningful in and of itself, and inevitably restores our hope as we, and others who share our vision, persevere and create healthier lives and a healthier world. As former Czech Republic president, Vaclav Havel, has written: ‘I feel a responsibility to work toward the things I consider good and right. I don’t know whether I’ll be able to change certain things for the better, or not at all. Both outcomes are possible. There is only one thing I will not concede: that it might be meaningless to strive in a good cause.’”

~ Zoe Weil, author of Most Good, Least Harm

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Most Good, Least Harm

Posted on January 25, 2010 by zoeweil

For the next few blog posts I’m going to share excerpts from my book, Most Good, Least Harm: A Simple Principle for a Better World and Meaningful Life.

My book, Most Good, Least Harm, “is based on a very simple premise: when we do the most good and the least harm through our daily choices, our acts of citizenship, our communities, our work, our volunteerism, and our interactions, we create inner and outer peace. I call this way of living ‘MOGO,’ short for ‘most good,’ and it has become the guiding principle of my life.

The MOGO principle is simple in theory, but it asks much of us. It requires a willingness to learn new information so that we might continually reexamine our lives with the greatest good in mind and commit to conscious and deliberate choice-making for the benefit of all. Doing so calls upon us to live with integrity, courage, wisdom, perseverance, and compassion. While at first glance this might seem quite challenging, embracing the MOGO principle is deeply rewarding. It puts us on a lifelong journey that helps us realize peace within ourselves as well as create a peaceful world.

I realize it can be very hard to imagine a peaceful world given the state of things: the horror of war, poverty, genocide, and human oppressions; the escalating degradation of the ecosystems on which all life depends; and the terrible cruelty that is perpetrated institutionally on animals. Yet we humans have faced seemingly insurmountable problems in the past, and we’ve triumphed many times. Apartheid in South Africa was eliminated. Mahatma Gandhi showed us that nonviolent resistance can topple an empire; and women gained the right to vote in democracies across the globe. Many people could not have imagined the end to many injustices prior to their demise. And, although humanity’s cruelties and failures persist, our positive achievements are enormous and unstoppable. These positive achievements have happened because individuals like you have chosen to make a difference.”

Zoe Weil, from Most Good, Least Harm

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The New Golden Rule

Posted on January 22, 2010 by zoeweil

For the next few blog posts I’m going to share excerpts from my book, Most Good, Least Harm: A Simple Principle for a Better World and Meaningful Life.

“We’re all aware of the Golden Rule to ‘do unto others as we would have them do unto us.’ Whether phrased in the positive or negative (don’t do unto others what wewouldn’t want done unto us), this ‘rule’ is integral to every major religion and has been prescribed by philosophers over millennia …. But now our complex world requires a new Golden Rule, one that enables us to put into practice the original Golden Rule universally. In a world in which our clothes, food, transportation, fuel, products, and homes come to us through a web of connections that extend around the planet, we need a principle to guide us so that we actually can do to others, no matter how geographically distant, as we would have them do to us, and refrain from doing to others that which is abhorrent to us. Most good, least harm (MOGO) is that principle. MOGO calls upon us to raise our awareness and connect the dots between ourselves and others whom our life impacts so that we can make sure that we are not being abusive or oppressive, and instead are increasing joy, health, and equality for everyone.”

Zoe Weil, author of Most Good, Least Harm

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