About

When I was young, I've always identified myself as some sort of half-ass polymath: I was never the best in school, but somehow did well enough with a fair amount of effort to get by as a "good student".

At its core, I was really just a mixed bag of things, somewhat socially awkward, somewhat clown-like, somewhat arrogant, yet also a model student and a class vice-president at one point in my life.

But of course, that was only just the beginning, and my life had yet to begin...

In my first decade, I used to think that I could be good at just about everything: from school, sports to languages and all sorts of hobbies. That apparently did hold for me, until a series of life events hit one by one, crushing down both my self-image and ego:

To make the matter worse, many of my crushing blows extended beyond my physical body and health as well:

All these together led to one important realization, that my life as it was is unsustainable, and that the skills I've accumulated were only fit for solving small-scale problems.

If anything, my level of knowledge and the actions I've taken — however well-intentioned they may be — were leading to my own destruction.

Annoyingly, this downward spiral seemed to persist no matter how much helpful resources I exposed myself to, how much motivational music I listened to, and how much actions I have taken to help resolve the situation. 

If anything, everything seemed to drive me towards some inevitable cliff that I couldn't avoid at this point — it was a futile struggle.

And then, slowly but surely, my character and habits began to change:

If anything, this has been my mode of operation for many years, where with each step I take, I swallow some painful lesson. Occasionally, these lessons allow me to refine my checklist, so that I can devise an adjustment and make a pivot. 

In many instances, the cruelty of life also forces me to stand up on my own, which leads to the development of a wide variety of skills.

So does that mean that all of my problems are currently solved? Far from it, but I've had a handful of milestones along the way:

Most importantly, throughout this seemingly-endless stream of struggles, two important themes began to emerge as I fight for my life at different fronts:

In fact, it's thanks to these two realizations that I was able to climb back from my hole. But as I do, I was hit by another realization:

As it stands, it shouldn't take much to conclude that many aspects of our human activities are highly unsustainable. This doesn't just operate at the individual level, but at the systemic level as well.

Indeed, whether we talk about lifestyle, health, environment or policy, the more time passes, the riskier the world seems to become. This increase in urgency is what led to the birth to The Sustainabilitist, my personal website and my attempt at "giving the world a shot".

So from unsustainability came The Sustainabilitist, whose roles I think are manyfold:

In essence, The Sustainabilitist is an extension of my struggle towards omni-directionally sufficiency, and houses a collection of potential solutions to the problems in this world. It's my way of turning devastations into legacy, and my way of living a life of balance and dedication to humanity.

So if any of that sounds just about right, then I'd invite you to come along. The knowledge and tools featured on this site come with no agenda other than the need to be sustainable, along with the relentless pursuit of freedom and harmony this world has to give.

Yours truly,

Thomas Lu

Thinker, designer, creator, sustainabilitist