We’ve got a bleak future ahead of us. The problems we see in our world, the problems that I and so many others care about, can at times feel overwhelming, even unbearably so. And, after reading articles like the one posted last week by The New York Times, there’s a lot of emotion to be found, both positive and negative. For me, especially after reading the article, it was a sense of hopelessness, the idea that we’ve set ourselves up for an unrecoverable failure. And, after pondering the feelings for a while, I had some thoughts to share that may help those in a similar position.
Fulfilling Failure
One of the main points the article mentioned before was that the climate movement of the 1970s failed as a result of overconfidence. That we didn’t believe in failure, and, as a result, we fulfilled it. I think this brings up an interesting point, but I want to focus on something that the article didn’t quite touch on.
Failure, especially today, is certainly an option. And, with recent administrative decisions here in the United States, it seems more and more likely. But, I think in times like these, we need to use the prospect of failure as fuel. Rather than merely recognizing it as a possibility, we need to understand what exactly failure means. What effects it would have on us, and our Earth. Once we do that, not only are we left with more determination for a solution, but quite possibly the inability to accept failure as an ending. That idea, in my view, is the key to finding determination in the face of those who may tell us we’ve already lost.
Still...
But, at the end of the day, even if you do have determination, and the inability to accept failure, there will undoubtedly be times when those who care about these issues will feel at a loss. I myself felt the very same way after reading The New York Times' article. It’s not hard to be convinced that this problem of ours is unsolvable, and it’s a belief that brings a great deal of negative emotion with it. No one likes feeling hopeless, but at the end of the day feeling it at some point is inevitable, and not necessarily a bad thing.
Building Balance
To me, great movements are built on two things: hope and determination, each playing off the other. One must have hope, and more importantly a vision, for a better future, and then have the determination to implement that vision. Obviously, the nuances of the topic go much deeper, but on the surface level these are all you really need. Hope tends to stem from the development of solution, the belief that we can actually create a better future. On the other side, determination tends to stem (although not in all cases) from a certain level of despair. As a result, much like the yin and yang, balance is key.
Too much hope, as stated by the New York Times article, can make us blind to failure. Make us lazy, even believe that failure is an impossibility. Which, I’d like to clarify, remains different from refusing to accept failure as an ending. But too much determination (or despair as it can also be thought of) makes us illogical, blinded by a desire to see something change. This leads to poor decision making, short term solutions, and eventual, continued despair.
But, finding a balance between the two, incorporating both hope and determination, seems like the perfect recipe for success. You have the hope to craft creative solutions, and the determination to see those solutions implemented. At the same time, they control each other, with determination reinstating the possibility of failure, and hope adding logic to an otherwise overly emotional mentality. But, as I mentioned before, this balance we should seek to achieve is always upset at some point, so how can we return to it?
Embracing Existentialism
The way I see it, there’s two solutions: one for the short term, and one for the long term. Obviously, much like the environmental issues we experience, we want a long term solution, but sometimes you need something in a pinch (I know I have). One of these short term solutions doesn’t involve physical action, but something more mental. The belief in existentialism (or at least part of it) is the belief that, due to the vast nature of our universe, our actions are too small to matter. No matter what we do, or how famous we become in the context of our own world, none of it will ever matter (speaking of course on a universal scale). Everyone dies, everything ends, and all is eventually forgotten.
It’s morbid, but also helpful. Whenever I feel like the world’s crashing down around me, and we’ve destroyed our world beyond repair, existentialism is comforting. I remind myself that, no matter how badly we mess up, no matter how bad we truly are, it doesn’t matter. Obviously, this mentality requires some balance too. Embrace it too fully, and you may find no justification for even attempting to solve these problems. To me, however, it isn’t an issue, as I always find myself returning to the human perspective, at least after a little while. Just a bit of comfort for the moment.
Setting Goals
But, at this point, we can’t afford to continue implementing short term solutions; we need something better. And for me, setting goals is just that. A lot of despair related towards these problems, at least for me, comes from the idea that I’m just not doing enough to help. That I SHOULD be doing more, SHOULD be doing better, SHOULD be DOING SOMETHING GREATER. If you feel the same, then I’ve got some bad news for you: It’s likely not going away. And, furthermore, I’m not going to try and invalidate the thought, or convince you to believe that what you’re doing IS enough. Instead, take that thought, and utilize it.
Whenever I feel like I'm not doing enough, I always ask: “What DO I want to do?” The answers are typically large and grandiose, so I then ask myself: “What can I do NOW?”. These are more reasonable. Finally, I ask myself “how?” and “when?” These questions help to define a plan, which leads to action, creating positive change, and satisfying the idea that I’m not quite doing enough. The plans aren’t always big, aren’t always daring, but they’re always a step in the right direction, and help me return to the balance I described earlier for a longer period of time. That’s what we need the most.
Conclusion
Balance is the key. It’s fitting that this is both the solution to our environmental problems, as well as our mental ones. As always, implementing these solutions comes down to YOU. We can formulate plans all we want, but do we have the determination to implement them? We can despair over a dying world, but do we have the hope to envision a better future? We can envision all we want, but do we have the drive to make something happen? The answer isn’t always yes, it certainly hasn’t been for me. But, if anything, you need to seize the moments where you do have the drive, where you do have the passion, and where you do have the hope.
But never forget the balance. We were given a perfectly balanced world, and some would argue perfectly balanced minds, but over the course of decades we’ve upset that balance. It’s time to find that balance again, not only in our mentality, but in our world. That, in my mind, is the only way we’re going to end this.
All credit for images used in this post goes to:
http://highdefinationwallpaperz.blogspot.com/2013/04/planet-earth-wallpapers-hd.html
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/08/01/magazine/climate-change-losing-earth.html
https://quotefancy.com/quote/1424013/Steven-Spielberg-Failure-is-inevitable-Success-is-elusive
https://thetruthhunterblog.wordpress.com/2012/09/03/what-happened-in-walthamstow/
http://www.botswanayouth.com/hopeless-situation/
http://wakeupkiwi.com/news-articles-34.shtml
https://quotesgram.com/anger-thich-nhat-hanh-quotes/
http://ktempest.tumblr.com/post/10769610355/from-the-geek-cave-if-youre-complaining-about
https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/jewish-thought/
https://circuit9.blogspot.com/2012/07/case-o-week-use-it-or-lose-it-then-win.html
http://www.boredart.com/2016/07/inspirational-quotes-about-strength-that-will-inspire-you.html
https://warriorpoetwisdom.com/tag/balance/
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