Not only do many of these things save our planet, they also save big-time in your wallet.
What is more important: to live in a race for the greatest level of wealth and fun and then die early on a ruined planet or to live soberly and satisfied and healthily for a long time?
I’m not saying that I’m a saint — I’m not. But setting a personal example should go a long way — especially if it comes from you. If we were stupid enough to ruin life on earth together, we should be smart enough too to restore a healthy earth together.
I don’t do drugs, including coffee. Do you know that a good talk or cry can set you free more than anything? Do we really need to pollute our blood and waste our health in order to numb or pacify our every dissatisfaction? Time is so valuable. Are you being generous but without over-extending yourself? How can we protect out-there when we can’t stand up for in-here?
I’m a vegan. I eat no animal produce. Could you really not lower your consumption of non-agricultural foods? It’s probably the most you can do to save the environment. If you must have a pat, can’t it be small and a herbivore?
I hardly eat refined foods. Do you really need to stuff yourself with white flour, white rice, white pasta, white sugar and white/red meat, that need salting, seasoning and spicing because they taste like nothing of their own and must be eaten in bulk since in small portions they can’t satisfy?
I don’t fly. Are you sure you need as many plane flights as you take? There is nothing worthwhile to see closer to home? Can’t you meet virtually? There is very little that pollutes as much as planes.
I don’t have a car. Do you really need one? Couldn’t you settle for public transportation, and an occasional taxi ride when you really need to?
I don’t travel every day. Do you really need to live so far from your workplace? What’s wrong with walking your shoes or pedaling a bike? Do you need to do your shopping so often and so far away? Do you really need to eat imported foods and put imported flowers on the table? (Plastic ones last much longer need far less water.)
I’m frugal. Are you? In winter, do you put on extra clothes at home, heat only one room, have insulation (the windows!)? Do you stop taps from dripping and toilets from running? Their small wastes add up big-time.
I use little water. Don’t you have a save button for flushing your toilet? Do you really need a garden that needs water? Can’t you water it with your shower water? Do you really need more than 15 liters of water to shower?
All my lights are low-energy light bulbs. They are more expensive but last much longer and hardly use electricity. Are your appliances low-energy? Do you really need such a giant TV — don’t you have anything useful to do after work, like improving the world and seeing friends?
I have no air conditioners. Do you need to shiver in summer and sweat in winter for your prestige? A smile can give you a good name too.
I’m frugal. Do you really need to replace clothes, furniture, electronics, everything you own every half year? Is it really so important to look fashionable, follow trends and show off your wealth? Why replace it if it’s good? Heard of repair? Why not buy more second-hand stuff? Why buy cheap stuff that needs to be replaced soon?
Do you try not to waste food? Do you recycle, buy second-hand and reduce and separate waste? Do you compost?
I collect. Is it really so important to hold on to everything? Have less, live smaller and you waste much less.
I don’t use tissue. Do you really need six sheets of paper to blow your nose or wipe your hands once? Heard of handkerchiefs and towels?
I’m a long-term pacifist. Do you still scream at other people? At your kids? Do you support the military, also when it’s aggressive and not protecting anyone, or tries to show off weapons to promote their sale? War is so destructive.
I like to learn Torah. Must your hobby be car racing or parachute jumping or anything else that cost our environment dearly? Don’t buy books — live close to an excellent library. (I have a book collection of my own, I know.)
The issue is not to do all of the above; just: the more the better.
Jews may be the world’s survival experts but we did not copyright it!
MM is a prolific and creative writer and thinker, previously a daily blog contributor to the TOI. He often makes his readers laugh, mad, or assume he's nuts—close to perfect blogging. He's proud that his analytical short comments are removed both from left-wing and right-wing news sites. None of his content is generated by the new bore on the block, AI. *
As a frontier thinker, he sees things many don't yet. He's half a prophet. Half. Let's not exaggerate. Or not at all because he doesn't claim G^d talks to him. He gives him good ideas—that's all. MM doesn't believe that people observe and think in a vacuum. He, therefore, wanted a broad bio that readers interested can track a bit what (lack of) backgrounds, experiences, and educations contribute to his visions. *
This year, he will prioritize getting his unpublished books published rather than just blog posts. Next year, he hopes to focus on activism against human extinction. To find less-recent posts on a subject XXX among his over 2000 archived ones, go to the right-top corner of a Times of Israel page, click on the search icon and search "zuiden, XXX". One can find a second, wilder blog, to which one may subscribe too, here: https://mmvanzuiden.wordpress.com/ or by clicking on the globe icon next to his picture on top. *
Like most of his readers, he believes in being friendly, respectful, and loyal. However, if you think those are his absolute top priorities, you might end up disappointed. His first loyalty is to the truth. He will try to stay within the limits of democratic and Jewish law, but he won't lie to support opinions or people when don't deserve that. (Yet, we all make honest mistakes, which is just fine and does not justify losing support.) He admits that he sometimes exaggerates to make a point, which could have him come across as nasty, while in actuality, he's quite a lovely person to interact with. He holds - how Dutch - that a strong opinion doesn't imply intolerance of other views. *
Sometimes he's misunderstood because his wide and diverse field of vision seldomly fits any specialist's box. But that's exactly what some love about him. He has written a lot about Psychology (including Sexuality and Abuse), Medicine (including physical immortality), Science (including basic statistics), Politics (Israel, the US, and the Netherlands, Activism - more than leftwing or rightwing, he hopes to highlight reality), Oppression and Liberation (intersectionally, for young people, the elderly, non-Whites, women, workers, Jews, LGBTQIA+, foreigners and anyone else who's dehumanized or exploited), Integrity, Philosophy, Jews (Judaism, Zionism, Holocaust and Jewish Liberation), the Climate Crisis, Ecology and Veganism, Affairs from the news, or the Torah Portion of the Week, or new insights that suddenly befell him. *
Chronologically, his most influential teachers are his parents, Nico (natan) van Zuiden and Betty (beisye) Nieweg, Wim Kan, Mozart, Harvey Jackins, Marshal Rosenberg, Reb Shlomo Carlebach, and, lehavdil bein chayim lechayim, Rabbi Dr. Natan Lopes Cardozo, Rav Zev Leff, and Rav Meir Lubin. This short list doesn't mean to disrespect others who taught him a lot or a little. One of his rabbis calls him Mr. Innovation [Ish haChidushim]. Yet, his originalities seem to root deeply in traditional Judaism, though they may grow in unexpected directions. In fact, he claims he's modernizing nothing. Rather, mainly basing himself on the basic Hebrew Torah text, he tries to rediscover classical Jewish thought almost lost in thousands of years of stifling Gentile domination and Jewish assimilation. (He pleads for a close reading of the Torah instead of going by rough assumptions of what it would probably mean and before fleeing to Commentaries.) This, in all aspects of life, but prominently in the areas of Free Will, Activism, Homosexuality for men, and Redemption. *
He hopes that his words will inspire and inform, and disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed. He aims to bring a fresh perspective rather than harp on the obvious and familiar. When he can, he loves to write encyclopedic overviews. He doesn't expect his readers to agree. Rather, original minds should be disputed. In short, his main political positions are among others: anti-Trumpism, for Zionism, Intersectionality, non-violence, anti those who abuse democratic liberties, anti the fake ME peace process, for original-Orthodoxy, pro-Science, pro-Free Will, anti-blaming-the-victim, and for down-to-earth, classical optimism, and happiness. Read his blog on how he attempts to bridge any tensions between those ideas or fields. *
He is a fetal survivor of the pharmaceutical industry (https://diethylstilbestrol.co.uk/studies/des-and-psychological-health/), born in 1953 to his parents who were Dutch-Jewish Holocaust survivors who met in the largest concentration camp in the Netherlands, Westerbork. He grew up a humble listener. It took him decades to become a speaker too, and decades more to admit to being a genius. But his humility was his to keep. And so was his honesty. Bullies and con artists almost instantaneously envy and hate him. He hopes to bring new things and not just preach to the choir. *
He holds a BA in medicine (University of Amsterdam) – is half a doctor. He practices Re-evaluation Co-counseling since 1977, is not an official teacher anymore, and became a friendly, powerful therapist. He became a social activist, became religious, made Aliyah, and raised three wonderful kids. Previously, for decades, he was known to the Jerusalem Post readers as a frequent letter writer. For a couple of years, he was active in hasbara to the Dutch-speaking public. He wrote an unpublished tome about Jewish Free Will. He's a strict vegan since 2008. He's an Orthodox Jew but not a rabbi. *
His writing has been made possible by an allowance for second-generation Holocaust survivors from the Netherlands. It has been his dream since he was 38 to try to make a difference by teaching through writing. He had three times 9-out-of-10 for Dutch at his high school finals but is spending his days communicating in English and Hebrew - how ironic. G-d must have a fine sense of humor. In case you wonder - yes, he is a bit dyslectic. If you're a native English speaker and wonder why you should read from people whose English is only their second language, consider the advantage of having an original peek outside of your cultural bubble. *
To send any personal reaction to him, scroll to the top of the blog post and click Contact Me. *
His newest books you may find here: https://www.amazon.com/s?i=stripbooks&rh=p_27%3AMoshe-Mordechai%2FMaurits+van+Zuiden&s=relevancerank&text=Moshe-Mordechai%2FMaurits+van+Zuiden&ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1