Lusty & Susty
The purpose of this site is to help people figure out how to live well as a responsible human on this planet. I can't say that I've got it all figured out, but I have thought about it quite a lot. And I've landed on two primary objectives.
- Live Lusty
Lusty (adj.) - healthy and strong; full of vigor.
In general, to live a life strong and energized, with enthusiasm and good health. I like this word. It obviously has a similarity to the word lust, meaning desire, appetite, pleasure, especially sexual (etymonline.com), and I think thats pretty neat. I like a little scandal, and life shouldn't be boring or pallid or weak. Humans have a rather brief existence in the grand scheme of things, and we should be able to enjoy living! But "lusty" has a broader meaning that just "lust." It takes into account stamina, strength, health. These seem integral to the idea of living well, and living as long as possible, for that matter.
- Live Susty
Sustainable (adj.) - able to be maintained at a certain rate or level, able to be upheld or defended.
So 'susty' is obviously short for 'sustainably' – an adverb based on the adjective 'sustainable' and derived from the verb 'sustain'. And yes, yes, the word susty is a bit cavalier at first. Seems a bit frivolous perhaps. But 'sustainably' is such a mouthful. Besides 'susty' rhymes with 'lusty,' and that makes it easy to remember.
So you can roll your eyes as much as you like, but then you can laugh at yourself a bit and not feel so serious. In the age of Climate Change, 'living sustainably' is certainly serious business, but no one wants to be bashed over the head with it constantly. Not while they are trying to figure out how to do better.
So we have lusty and susty - the tenets of living well on a finite planet. Now let us go forth and sustify ourselves! Too much? Ok ok. Never mind. Onwards!