Switch OFF the Consumption Circuit That’s Been Running Automatically in Your Life
Be a Hero, Save the World for your Kids — a Framework for Heroic Living in the Age of Extraction.
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The Crisis of Indifference
We are living through what Albert Camus* warned us about in 1946: a state of “moral anesthesia” where we can “contemplate the death or the torture of a human being with a feeling of indifference.” Today, that indifference has expanded to encompass the demise of Mother Earth herself. We scroll past images of burning forests, rising seas, and climate refugees with the same numbed detachment Camus observed in post-war Europe.
This indifference isn’t accidental. It’s a symptom of late-stage capitalism — an economic system that has trained us to prioritise profit over planet, consumption over conservation, individual comfort over collective survival. We’ve been anesthetized by abundance, lulled into complacency by the very system that’s destroying our future.
But within this crisis lies our call to adventure. The modern hero’s journey doesn’t begin with leaving home to slay external dragons. It begins with recognising that we are both the problem and the solution — and choosing to become the latter.
*Albert Camus was a French-Algerian journalist, playwright, novelist, philosophical essayist, and Nobel laureate. Though he was neither by advanced training nor profession a philosopher, he nevertheless made important, forceful contributions to a wide range of issues in moral philosophy in his novels, reviews, articles, essays, and speeches — from terrorism and political violence to suicide and the death penalty. He is often described as an existentialist writer, though he himself disavowed the label.
The First Heroic Act: Abandoning “Me-First Thinking”
The transformation from climate bystander to climate hero starts with a single, profound shift in consciousness: abandoning “me-first thinking.” This is what Joseph Campbell** called the “truly heroic transformation of consciousness” — the moment we stop asking “What’s in it for me?” and start asking “How can I serve something bigger than myself?”
In practice, this means shifting from:
- “Will I like it? Will I be comfortable? What will I get out of it?”
To:
- “How will my energy contribute to the mix? How can I best serve the whole?”
This shift is a micro-revolt of reverence — a conscious decision to break the cycle of extraction and consumption that fuels our planetary crisis. It’s the recognition that our individual comfort has come at the expense of our collective future, and the heroic choice to reverse that equation.
**Joseph Campbell (1904–1987) was an American author and teacher best known for his work in the field of comparative mythology. Joseph Campbell died in 1987. In 1988, a series of television interviews with Bill Moyers, Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth, Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth, introduced Campbell’s views to millions of people. The video series is free to stream on YouTube, and the accompanying book remains in print today.
The 100-Day STOP Consuming Challenge
To make this transformation tangible, I propose a specific heroic challenge: the 100-Day Call-to-Action leading up to Christmas 2025. Starting now, the heroic act is simple but revolutionary — stop buying clothes, kitchenware, and gifts.
This isn’t about deprivation. It’s about liberation from the consumption cycle that keeps us complicit in planetary destruction. It’s a circuit-breaker that interrupts the automatic behaviours that late-stage capitalism has programmed into us.
When Christmas morning arrives, instead of feeling guilty about the waste and excess, you’ll feel something entirely different: the quiet pride of someone who chose conscience over convenience. You’ll sit at your family’s Christmas lunch feeling like a hero — because you will be one.
Join the Movement
Ready to become a Circuit-Breaker Hero™? Leave a comment below declaring your commitment:
“I’m becoming a Circuit-Breaker Hero™ for the next 100 days”
Share what specific consumption pattern you’re going to pause, or what heroic alternative you’re choosing instead. Your public declaration becomes part of your heroic transformation — and inspiration for others to join.
The 100-day countdown to Christmas starts now. Let’s see how many heroes answer the call.
The Hero’s Tool: Personal Values-Mediated System (PVMS)
To sustain this heroic transformation, we need more than good intentions. We need a Personal Values-Mediated System (PVMS) — a conscious architecture for decision-making that keeps us aligned with our deepest commitments to future generations.
The PVMS is your personal operating system for ethical living. It’s built on a foundation of reflection: What world do I want to leave for my children, grandchildren, and their children? What values will guide my choices when comfort and conscience conflict?
This isn’t abstract philosophy. It’s practical heroism. Every decision — what to buy, what to eat, how to travel, how to work — becomes an opportunity to reinforce your heroic identity rather than undermine it.
AI as Heroic Partner
In this transformation, AI isn’t a replacement for human judgment but a partner in ethical self-architecture. Instead of allowing AI to form impressions of us from our “digital junkyard” of random data, we can use it to help articulate our true context and achieve what we call Breakout Autonomy — a state of empowered self-determination.
AI can help us:
- Clarify our values and make them actionable
- Track our alignment with our heroic commitments
- Surface the hidden impacts of our choices
- Design systems that support our transformation
The goal isn’t to automate our ethics but to amplify our capacity for ethical action.
The Circuit-Breaker Hero AI Partner Prompt:
“I’m embarking on a 100-day Circuit-Breaker Hero journey to transform my relationship with consumption and align my daily choices with my values for future generations. I want you to be my AI partner in this heroic transformation — not to make decisions for me, but to help me clarify my thinking and stay accountable to my deepest commitments. Here’s my context: [Insert a brief description of your situation, family, values, specific consumption patterns you want to break]. I want you to help me:
- Articulate my Personal Values-Mediated System (PVMS) — what principles will guide my choices over the next 100 days?
- Recognise when I’m slipping back into “me-first thinking” versus “how can I serve the whole?”
- Surface the hidden impacts of purchases I’m considering — both environmental and ethical
- Design practical systems that make heroic choices easier than automatic consumption
- Celebrate progress and learn from moments when I fall back into old patterns
Ask me clarifying questions to understand my specific situation, then help me architect a personal system for staying aligned with my heroic identity as a Circuit-Breaker Hero. Remember: I want to feel empowered and heroic, not guilty or restricted. This is about conscious choice, not deprivation.”
The Ultimate Challenge: Hanging Your Art on the Wall
The hero’s journey culminates not in private virtue but in public courage. The ultimate challenge is what we call “hanging your art on the wall©” — the act of making your heroic transformation visible to the world. Your “art” might be:
- The innovative project you created, instead of consuming
- The creative work that expresses your values
- The simple but powerful act of living differently
- The courage to share your 100-day challenge at family gatherings
- The businesses you choose to support or boycott
- The political actions you take based on your values
This isn’t about performative activism or virtue signalling. It’s about the cathartic experience of authentic expression — the moment when private conviction becomes public declaration.
When you sit at Christmas dinner having lived 100 days of conscious resistance to consumption culture, you’re not just modelling different behaviour. You’re radiating different energy. You’re proof that another way of living is possible.
From Individual Heroes to Collective Movement
The power of this framework lies not just in individual transformation but in collective potential. When enough people begin their heroic journeys simultaneously, individual acts of courage compound into a social movement.
Imagine thousands of people taking the 100-day Christmas challenge. Imagine families across the country where at least one person has chosen to step off the consumption treadmill. Imagine workplaces, communities, and social circles where heroic alternatives to business-as-usual become visible and contagious.
This is how we move from “It’s too big for me to help fix” to “I want to be part of the process to gift a healthy world to future generations.” This is how individual heroism becomes collective transformation.
The Philosophical Foundation
This framework draws from two of the 20th century’s most influential thinkers:
Albert Camus taught us that in an absurd world, the heroic act is to continue choosing meaning and dignity despite the overwhelming odds. He showed us that moral anesthesia is a choice — and that we can choose differently.
Joseph Campbell revealed that the hero’s journey is humanity’s fundamental story of transformation. He showed us that every individual has the capacity for heroic transformation, and that such transformations are exactly what the world needs.
We’re not borrowing their ideas for intellectual decoration. We’re applying their insights to the existential crisis of our time: the choice between planetary collapse and conscious personal transformation.
The Hero You’ve Been Waiting For
The climate crisis isn’t just an environmental problem. It’s a crisis of consciousness — a test of whether humanity can evolve beyond the me-first thinking that got us into this predicament.
The hero we’ve been waiting for isn’t a political leader, a technological breakthrough, or a miraculous intervention. The hero we’ve been waiting for is you — transformed, aligned with your deepest values, and courageously committed to leaving a world worth inheriting.
The journey begins now. The 100-day countdown to Christmas has started. The question isn’t whether you can save the world single-handedly. The question is whether you’re ready to become the kind of person who contributes to saving it.
The world needs heroes. The world needs you to be one.
Will you answer the call?
About the Author: Greg Twemlow — © 2025 | All rights reserved. I write at the collision points of technology, education, and human agency, including:
Learning as Self-Authorship — Becoming the author of your learning, life, and legacy.
Creativity as a Sovereign Practice — Expressing what only you can bring into the world.
Agency in an Age of Intelligent Systems — Making decisive, value-aligned choices.
Remixing the World — Transforming existing ideas into new forms that inspire thoughtful examination.
Living in Alignment — Staying in tune with your values, ethics, and the people who matter.
100-Day Circuit-Breaker Hero™ — Frequently Asked Questions
General Questions
Q: What exactly is the 100-Day Circuit-Breaker Hero™ challenge? A: It’s a heroic commitment to stop buying non-essential items (clothes, kitchenware, gifts) for 100 days leading up to Christmas 2025. The goal is to break the automatic consumption patterns that keep us complicit in planetary destruction and transform you into someone who feels genuinely heroic about their choices.
Q: Why 100 days specifically? A: 100 days is long enough to break deeply ingrained habits but short enough to feel achievable. It takes you right to Christmas — the peak of consumption culture — giving you the ultimate test of your heroic transformation when the pressure to consume is highest.
Q: Is this just another form of minimalism or anti-consumerism? A: No. This isn’t about having less stuff or being anti-anything. It’s about becoming the kind of person who makes conscious, values-driven choices instead of automatic, programmed responses. It’s about transforming your identity from passive consumer to active hero.
The Challenge Details
Q: What counts as “non-essential”? Can I still buy groceries? A: Use the common-sense test: “Can I survive without this until early 2026?” Food, medicine, genuine repairs, and true necessities are fine. The target is discretionary purchases — clothes, home decor, gifts, gadgets, books, entertainment subscriptions, etc.
Q: What if there’s an emergency or genuine need? A: Real emergencies aren’t covered by the challenge. If your work shoes fall apart or your child needs something essential, buy it. The goal is conscious choice, not rigid deprivation. Ask yourself: “Is this my heroic self making a conscious decision, or my automatic consumption circuit kicking in?”
Q: Can I buy experiences instead of things? A: Experiences align better with heroic values than accumulating objects, but apply the same consciousness test. Is this experience serving your transformation into a more heroic person, or is it just consumption in a different form?
Q: What about gifts for others? A: This is where real heroism shows up. Instead of buying gifts, what could you create, share, or offer from your own skills and presence? Your gift could be time, a handmade item, a service, or even explaining your 100-day journey and inviting others to join.
The Philosophy
Q: How is this different from just “buying less”? A: Buying less is still thinking like a consumer. Being a Circuit-Breaker Hero™ means thinking like someone whose identity is grounded in serving future generations. Every choice becomes an opportunity to reinforce your heroic identity rather than undermine it.
Q: Why focus on individual action when corporations cause most emissions? A: Because individual transformation creates the collective consciousness that demands corporate change. When enough people become Circuit-Breaker Heroes™, the market and political pressure for systemic change becomes unstoppable. You can’t outsource heroism to politicians and CEOs.
Q: What’s the Personal Values-Mediated System (PVMS)? A: It’s your personal operating system for ethical decision-making. Instead of making choices based on impulse, convenience, or social pressure, you make them based on your deepest values about the world you want to leave for future generations.
Getting Started
Q: How do I begin? A: Start by using the Circuit-Breaker Hero AI Partner Prompt in the article to help clarify your values and set up your PVMS. Then simply stop buying non-essential items starting today. The heroic transformation begins with the first “no” to automatic consumption.
Q: What if I slip up and buy something? A: Heroism isn’t about perfection — it’s about conscious choice and learning from mistakes. If you slip up, use it as data: What triggered the automatic response? How can you strengthen your circuit-breaker for next time? The goal is progress, not perfection.
Q: Can my family join, or do I do this alone? A: Heroes can work alone or in groups. If your family wants to join, that’s powerful collective action. If they don’t, you become the inspiring example that might influence them later. Either way works.
The Results
Q: What happens after 100 days? A: You’ll have rewired your relationship with consumption. You’ll have practised making choices from your heroic identity rather than your consumer programming. Most importantly, you’ll have proven to yourself that you can be the kind of person who acts on their values even when it’s challenging.
Q: Will this actually make a difference to the planet? A: Every Circuit-Breaker Hero™ reduces demand for resource extraction, but the real impact is the identity transformation. When you become someone who naturally chooses conscience over convenience, that influences every future decision you make — about career, politics, investments, and values.
Q: How will I know I’m succeeding? A: You’ll feel the shift from “I can’t buy that” (deprivation) to “I don’t want to buy that” (transformation). You’ll start making choices that align with your heroic identity without internal struggle. Most powerfully, you’ll sit at Christmas dinner feeling genuinely proud of who you’ve become.
The Movement
Q: Is this just individual self-help disguised as environmental action? A: No. Individual transformation is the foundation of collective movement. When thousands of people become Circuit-Breaker Heroes™ simultaneously, it creates visible proof that another way of living is possible and spreads through social networks.
Q: How can I connect with other Circuit-Breaker Heroes™? A: Start by “hanging your art on the wall” — making your participation visible. Share your journey, create something meaningful instead of buying gifts, and invite others to join. Heroic examples inspire heroic responses.
Q: What if people think I’m being extreme or preachy? A: Heroes often seem extreme to people still operating from the old paradigm. You’re not trying to convince anyone — you’re living proof that transformation is possible. Your quiet confidence in your choices will speak louder than any argument.
AI Partnership
Q: How can AI help with this challenge? A: AI can serve as your heroic partner — helping you clarify your PVMS, recognise when you’re slipping into “me-first thinking,” surface hidden impacts of potential purchases, and design systems that make heroic choices easier. Use the AI Partner Prompt in the article to get started.
Q: Won’t using AI undermine my heroic agency? A: Only if you let AI make decisions for you. When used properly, AI amplifies your capacity for ethical action by helping you think more clearly about your values and choices. The goal is to enhance your heroic capabilities, not replace them.
Ready to become a Circuit-Breaker Hero™? The 100-day countdown to Christmas starts now.
Intellectual Property Protection Statement
Author: Greg Twemlow
Date of Creation: September 16, 2025
Location: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Notice of Original Creation and Intellectual Property Claims
I, Greg Twemlow, hereby declare that I am the original creator and author of the following unique phrases, concepts, and framework elements, which I created on September 16, 2025, during the development of my climate action thesis titled “Be a Hero, Save the World for your Kids.”
Trademark Claims (™)
The following original phrases and concepts are claimed as trademarks by Greg Twemlow:
“Be a Hero, Save the World for your Kids”™
“Be a Hero, the 100-day Circuit-Breaker Movement”™
“100-day Circuit-Breaker Movement”™
“100-day Circuit-Breaker Hero”™
“Switch OFF the consumption circuit that’s been running automatically in your life”™
Copyright Claims (©)
The following original written works and frameworks are protected under copyright by Greg Twemlow:
“Be a Hero, Save the World: A New Framework for Climate Action” — Complete thesis document
The Personal Values-Mediated System (PVMS) — Conceptual framework and methodology
The 100-day Circuit-Breaker Movement Framework — Complete system architecture including philosophy, methodology, and implementation guidelines
The Hero’s Journey Climate Action Framework — Integration of Campbell’s Hero’s Journey with climate consciousness transformation
Evidence of Original Creation
Date and Time of Conception: September 16, 2025, approximately 2:00 PM AEST
Method of Documentation: Digital conversation and collaborative development with an AI assistant
Verification Method: Google search verification conducted on September 16, 2025, confirming no existing results for claimed phrases
Witness Documentation: Complete conversation logs and timestamps available as supporting evidence
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This verification establishes that these phrases and concepts are original and previously unclaimed in the public domain.
Intent for Commercial and Non-Commercial Use
These trademarks and copyrighted materials are being developed for:
Educational and awareness campaigns
Climate action movement building
Potential licensing to aligned organisations
Book, course, and media content development
Global movement framework deployment
Protection Against Infringement
This notice serves as a formal declaration of intellectual property rights and puts all parties on notice that:
Unauthorised use of these trademarked phrases for commercial purposes is prohibited
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Greg Twemlow reserves all rights to pursue legal remedies for infringement.
Licensing agreements may be considered for aligned organisations and purposes.
Contact for Licensing or Permission
For licensing inquiries or permission requests regarding these intellectual property assets, contact:
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Legal Disclaimer: This notice constitutes a formal claim of intellectual property rights under applicable Australian and international copyright and trademark laws. While this notice establishes ownership claims and intent, formal trademark registration may be pursued through appropriate legal channels to strengthen protection.
Signature: Greg Twemlow
Date: September 16, 2025
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