The World of Living Together and Sustainability

There is something beautifully brave about choosing to live together.

We often romanticize the idea: breakfasts together, laughter echoing in rooms, a sense of “home” that has little to do with the furniture and everything to do with presence. But living together is a subtle, evolved and evolving art. It’s not just about cohabiting — it’s about coexisting with intention, compassion, and awareness. That’s what my Professor Friend says.

While lighting his cigar he said, “Living together is like  two people learning how to be both separate and whole”. I told him that he is sounding overly poetic.

It begins with small things like figuring out who leaves the lights on, and how toothpaste tubes should be squeezed. It’s also about whether the Air conditioner should be on at night. Remember that this is not just about habits. They’re the texture of daily life — the landscape where mutual understanding and respect grows.

I remember once arguing over the colour of bedsheets. It seemed silly even while it happened. But underneath it was something more — how we express taste, how we each want to be seen.

It wasn’t about bedsheets at all. It was about listening to the story the other person was trying to tell.

Professor added that “Living together isn’t just about compatibility. It’s about curiosity and this curiosity should last lifetime”. But are we losing this curiosity today because of the highly digital world around us?

In today’s world living together has become more difficult than ever before. In the blur of city life — with its relentless schedules, late evening zoom meetings, crowded commutes, and digital distractions especially— we are often physically close but emotionally distant. Now you see people sitting together physically but in their own world of messaging on what’s app. You rarely watch TV together as you like different channels (and why not?) and so you buy two TVs if you have a two bedroom apartment. Today dual-income urban couples in cities like Mumbai, Singapore, or New York report spending less than 90 minutes a day in “meaningful interaction.”

The pace of life has quickened, but our capacity to pause, to listen, to truly be present with one another, has quietly eroded. We carry our stress home like heavy backpacks and sometimes forget to take them off at the door. You then feel heavy by the sheer weight of the modern life. There is no time to express your curiosity.

Professor said that recently the term “alone together” was coined by MIT sociologist Sherry Turkle to describe how people can share space but feel emotionally isolated — a growing issue in relationships shaped by tech overuse.

Globally, cohabiting couples are separating at higher rates than married couples. For example, in the U.S., about 60% of cohabiting relationships dissolve within 5 years, according to the National Center for Family & Marriage Research. A Pew Research survey revealed that 1 in 4 partnered adults say their partner is too often distracted by their phone when they’re trying to talk. The truth is, living together is becoming more fragile in today’s world.

The world is shifting. Faster cities. Shorter attention spans. More options, fewer anchors.
For many young people today, the idea of commitment feels more like a risk. Further, they don’t realize that a relationship isn’t necessarily built in grand moments. The Joy Lies in the Ordinary.

I asked Professor “Can Nature Help Us Reconnect?”

Today, in contrast to the friction of city life, many couples are now quietly choosing a slower pace — moving to greener suburbs, or even semi-rural areas, to reclaim their peace.
Research shows that proximity to nature reduces stress, improves mood, and even leads to fewer arguments at home.

The world is noisy, but nature offers a kind of quiet space that relationships seem to understand.

Maybe, in the end, living together works better when we’re not just sharing a roof — but also sharing sunrises, walks under trees, and the silence of a world that doesn’t demand constant performance.

A study published in Frontiers in Psychology (2020) found that just 120 minutes per week in nature (parks, green spaces, walking trails) together significantly improves mental well-being and emotional balance.

I walk every day at the Shivaji Park in Mumbai and sadly, have found that generally, on an average, less than 10 couples are seen walking together while more than 5000 people walk in the morning time. But Shivaji Park is also losing its nature touch because of the political rallies that it has to withstand!

Many couples do realize the importance of spending time together with nature and so take expensive holidays in mountains, forests and beaches. But invariably all of them carry mobile phones and laptops when on holidays with nature. Is it an addiction or is it overdependence?

A 2022 McKinsey report showed that 23% of workers globally are now willing to earn less if they can live outside a city, especially in nature-rich environments. In Japan, a government program offering families up to 1 million yen to relocate from Tokyo to rural towns reflects growing support for de-urbanization as a wellness strategy.

New Opportunities in the Blue Circular Green (BCG) Economy

Sustainability offers a field where work aligns with personal values — environmental care, social equity, ethical choices — things couples often reflect on together. Many mid-career professionals, after years in corporate or tech sectors, have begun to crave more purpose-driven work. Moving to quieter towns or hybrid lifestyles sometimes comes with a switch to green entrepreneurship (eco-farming, consulting, eco-tourism, etc.).

Couples raising children have become more aware of future risks like climate change and want their careers to model responsibility. Sustainability sectors offer a way to contribute to solutions with opportunities in ESG, renewable energy, biodiversity conservation, circular economy, sustainable finance, and more. In the IT sector, couples are moving into climate tech, ESG analytics, and sustainable AI tools.

Couples with complementary skills (e.g., finance + communication, or tech + design) find opportunities to collaborate on sustainability startups or social enterprises. In the US and Europe, couples in their 30s and 40s are leaving urban careers to start regenerative farms, sustainable architecture practices, or green consulting firms. Harvard Business Review (2022) noted a rise in “purpose-driven pivots” post-COVID, often involving both partners shifting to sustainability or social impact careers.

According to a 2023 survey by LinkedIn India, sustainability-related job postings grew by 30% year-on-year, and many applicants were mid-career professionals pivoting from traditional roles. Notable trends include couples becoming co-founders of green startups, professional couples taking courses together on sustainability, design thinking, or regenerative business.

Idea of Sustainability Rejuvenation Centre

I told Professor about my observations and ideas on living together sharing the good old times and challenges  faced by the younger generation. And of course I stressed the importance of sustainability. He smiled and said.

“Dr Modak, did you notice that lately that I do not join any committees or undertake highly paid consulting assignments of the international kind or even deliver keynote addresses?”.

I nodded. Yes, most of the times I had noticed that Professor has been absconding secretly somewhere.

Professor extinguished his cigar.

“Dr Modak, I have been away in the blue hills of Nilagiri designing a Sustainability Rejuvenation Centre to help young couples Living better Together. This centre will exactly do what you want. I will be coaching couples on how to weave sustainability in their  fabric of life together. Sessions will be held during the quiet forest walks”

Well, I was really excited to know about this new initiative. I asked ChatGPT if such a Centre existed somewhere in the world and  it responded saying that it hasn’t come across such as Centre as yet. But then I remembered that Professor has a bad habit to be original.

Professor got up. He looked outside the window and said

“Dr Modak, why don’t you join me? Stop writing the drab consulting reports and also stop mentoring people who have no serious commitment to learn”

I thought now is the time I should.

Would you like to join me too?