What could you let go of, for the sake of harmony?

My question back is “Harmony with what?”

Harmony with friends? Family? The world at large?

If there is something that is actively harmful from a broader perspective, and it’s perceived that going without it is for the better in the long run, then I’ll first evaluate whether I can do without it via an alternative. If no alternative is found (at the time) I’ll weigh the option of completely doing without whatever the thing is.

However, if the thing can be proven to not be broadly (or even minutely) harmful, and other people are still decrying it as such, then that’s different. The process would look a bit reversed to the one above. Deciding whether I really need it at all before determining whether or not to let it go. If it’s something I don’t really need, and it’s not serving any major/substantive purpose in my life, then I’ll look at cutting it out.

Why do I approach them differently? Generally speaking, the things we’ve built as a species have all started out as harmful in some way, but everything served a purpose. Nowadays we have so much “junk” available to us that it’s kind of mind boggling how we aren’t advancing further and faster.

Anyways, enough dodging the question. I’m not giving up eating meat, at least not anytime soon. I could do without a lot of the sugary treats and processed foods, but the only one that I feel I’m at odds with is myself and I don’t really worry about internal harmony.

Food aside, if cities in the United States were much more walkable and had better public transportation, I could go without my car. Better harmony with nature and the environment would be great for everyone.