Blizzard hits Boston

Here in Boston, people are hunkering down for the weekend because a historic storm is arriving. High winds, cold temperatures, and lots of snow are in the forecast. This extreme weather has me thinking about global warming and the oil boilers which are going to be keeping people warm this weekend. Meanwhile, we know that fossil fuel companies have waged a campaign for decades to deflect blame and responsibility and delay action on climate change. Can we actually save the planet? I’ll say one thing – it’s an “all hands on deck” moment. Each of us can make an impact, but we need to work together and speak out.

My personal plan has been to improve the insulation on my triple-decker house using a group called Mass Save and to get rid of our oil boiler. In its place, I received two quotes from companies, New England Ductless and Excel Mechanical, to install Mitsubishi electric heat pumps. I also have been considering getting rid of our gas stove and gas water heater, installing solar panels on the roof of the house, and trading in our Rav-4 SUV for an electric car. My plan isn’t prohibitively expensive and we could make it work financially. Yet because of my own immunity to change, I haven’t done it.

Immunity to change – that’s the fundamental issue. Years ago, I audited a class at the Harvard Graduate School of Education on this topic, taught by Robert Kegan and Lisa Lahey. What is holding us back from making those changes in our lives that we really need to make? It’s actually a psychological question, and the answer is we need to understand the root causes of our inertia. They include childhood experiences, personal beliefs, family norms, and cultural expectations.

Working with others is the answer when we know we must change. This is the case for going fossil fuel free, losing weight, or learning a foreign language. What are you working on changing for 2022? The new year is still young. A few of my New Years Resolutions are to relax, write a book, improve my physical fitness, get better at violin and music, improve my Korean, learn basic cantillation (chanting in Hebrew), and to install a sprinkler system in our home to protect us in the case of fire. I’m also planning to travel to California and to Ohio, to see my father’s grave. So far I have made a little bit of progress on those goals, and we’re already 29 days into the new year. So I need to refocus on how I can accomplish them.

Yes, each of us can change, and all it takes is our attitude! Developing self-confidence and self-discipline are the most important issues of our time. Another bit of change I need is to get off the couch, pick up a shovel, and start clearing the steps and the sidewalks. This blizzard is going to be a big one – it reminds me of the snowy 2015 morning when I walked 4 miles through the streets of Boston to go to see patients at the Brigham.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thAXUtTjYRQ

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