Hi Isabelle, sorry about your pain, I feel the same frequently. One of my personal values is sticking to the truth, and so I have to point out that runaway climate change is far from a foregone conclusion. Admittedly we have a certain amount of evidence that it could be starting, and the scientists like Rockstrom, Hansen and Anderson certainly say things that would lead us to think so. True, we have had over a year above 1.5, and true, it doesn't appear that society is going to do a damn thing about it except maybe speed up the energy transition a little, which was going to happen anyway. However, that said, we can choose less grim outcomes if we fight hard enough. And in many ways and many places, life is still beautiful. And add your own favourite philosophy here 😆
'Our internal experience, our internal knowing, doesn’t match up with what seems to be happening in our daily lives.' So much rings true here.
I often feel like I'm going back to sleep again; not that I'd ever completely lose awareness or stop trying altogether, or become a different person with altogether different values, but sometimes the cognitive dissonance is such a strain, it seems like it's just easier to let go, drift off, push it to one side, distract myself with other things. I think perhaps that's one of the things we can do though, keep nudging each other awake again, and that's what you're doing here.
I think it's hard to constantly have our eyes wide open and maybe we need to be asleep sometimes to keep ourselves going. I love the idea of nudging each other awake Lucy. I need to write that one down. :)
I've felt too at times that one cannot face the horror of it and will go bonkers or just lose ability to function in the current world.
I maintain equilibrium through the thought that this whole period is an extremely violent aberration in the long history of mankind and that it is possible (likely?) that something will pass through and survive in a few remote places and over millennia, the poisons will be neutralized and things have a possibility of coming to balance.
Hi Isabelle, sorry about your pain, I feel the same frequently. One of my personal values is sticking to the truth, and so I have to point out that runaway climate change is far from a foregone conclusion. Admittedly we have a certain amount of evidence that it could be starting, and the scientists like Rockstrom, Hansen and Anderson certainly say things that would lead us to think so. True, we have had over a year above 1.5, and true, it doesn't appear that society is going to do a damn thing about it except maybe speed up the energy transition a little, which was going to happen anyway. However, that said, we can choose less grim outcomes if we fight hard enough. And in many ways and many places, life is still beautiful. And add your own favourite philosophy here 😆
I appreciate this Adam! It is nice to be reminded!!! And you're right, always less grim if we DO THE WORK :)
'Our internal experience, our internal knowing, doesn’t match up with what seems to be happening in our daily lives.' So much rings true here.
I often feel like I'm going back to sleep again; not that I'd ever completely lose awareness or stop trying altogether, or become a different person with altogether different values, but sometimes the cognitive dissonance is such a strain, it seems like it's just easier to let go, drift off, push it to one side, distract myself with other things. I think perhaps that's one of the things we can do though, keep nudging each other awake again, and that's what you're doing here.
I think it's hard to constantly have our eyes wide open and maybe we need to be asleep sometimes to keep ourselves going. I love the idea of nudging each other awake Lucy. I need to write that one down. :)
So hard to be awake and live in a world that's still asleep.
You know it girly <3
Well said.
I've felt too at times that one cannot face the horror of it and will go bonkers or just lose ability to function in the current world.
I maintain equilibrium through the thought that this whole period is an extremely violent aberration in the long history of mankind and that it is possible (likely?) that something will pass through and survive in a few remote places and over millennia, the poisons will be neutralized and things have a possibility of coming to balance.
It would be a shame if that's not so.
.
Oh yes I love this perspective. Thanks, Jay. :)
Another insightful and compassionate piece. Thanks Isabelle!
Thank you Nadine. :) <3