Each person does exactly what they do in this department.
Stewardship is an aesthetic bias.
Talking to groups of friends about how to reduce their
consumption for a larger utilitarian purpose, what I discovered was when it
came to "give up the desire for a personal car and children", even
the granolaest of granolas made an "ugh" face.
I stopped talking to people about that and just decided to
live my values as best I could: no motorized toys, no new people, and no
stuff-extensive hobbies.
It's easier to respect what matters to me than it is to try
and convince anyone else to care about what I care about.
Plus, not trying to change anyone is like living on a
private island. Being a good house holder and less wasteful in one's own life
should go a long way toward this.
Coming back to just awareness, the other stuff, including
desire and indignation, drops away.
It's all erosion in the end and we can protect our stuff as
best we cannot really protect our stuff can we.
Clothes, toys, food, family, lovers, friends,
enemies...anything I could remotely deem MINE requires an active tether of
gut-thought.
If I can't see it, I can't do much about protecting it from
destruction. If I can see it, I still can't do much, and yet, much might be
exactly what I can do, too.
Property is an extended assumption of identity. It is a
terribly natural feature, anchoring living and nonliving things as MINE.
As much as I wish to hope everything I like fairs well in its
trajectory, I cannot actually wish that without generating immense agony.
It is saner to accept zero control and enjoy all things as
if they were made of chai-cup clay.
ps/smoh
