I think one of the reasons people feel despair (including myself) about climate change is because the narrative we’re almost always given. A common narrative is that it’s caused by big complicated industries that are integral to the way the world works. Without a slim light to claw at in order to dig out of this hole, I think it’s easy to simply feel unsure and unwell.
Perhaps we’ve been watching too much media that tells us the problem’s too big to solve, or that our individual actions won’t make a difference. Hold on, whatever happened to collective action? If I consider myself to be a tiny atom orbiting an infinitely larger problem then of course all my actions are hopeless. But if I consider my actions to be part of a collective of people consciously changing themselves and their world, then over time I’ll start to feel like my actions are life affirming and good for humanity.
Have community help you along the way
If fifteen people decide to go from putting two teaspoons of sugar in their coffee every day to zero then collectively we’ve saved over 48 pounds of sugar in a year (four grams of sugar in a teaspoon, multiplied by fifteen people, multiplied by 365). I’ve tried going from two teaspoons of sugar to zero. It’s really hard. You need to have a strong sense of purpose for what you’re doing and community support to encourage you along the way.
Quick thoughts on E.F. Schumacher
I’m currently reading “Small is Beautiful” by E.F. Schumacher, and in the introduction he says that:
“Modern man does not experience himself as a part of nature but as an outside force destined to dominate and conquer it. He even talks of a battle with nature, forgetting that, if he won the battle, he would find himself on the losing side.”
I love this quote because the more we try to erase and conquer nature the more we lose. I want a future for humanity that has the beauty of the natural world built into everyone’s lives. We’ve been able to make the internet a part of our daily lives, and we had to invent the internet. We don’t need to invent nature, it’s already here being awesome.
