Crowdsourcing Sustainability

Climate Grief = Love

November 22, 2020 Ryan Hagen Season 1 Episode 7
Crowdsourcing Sustainability
Climate Grief = Love
Show Notes Transcript

My quick thoughts (initially intended to be private) on eco-anxiety and climate despair.

Includes:
- Why it's not only natural but rational to experience these feelings.
- Where they may ultimately be coming from (love).
- A key takeaway and new lens through which to view them.

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hey everybody and welcome back to the show i've got something a little different for you this week you're about to hear a quick five-minute recording i made last year and to be honest i was just out on a walk and decided to capture my thoughts i never planned on sharing this with anyone else but i happened to listen to it many months later and liked it so here we are also just a heads up for those who are offended by swearing i do uncharacteristically drop an f-bomb so you've been warned and all right without further ado here it is hope you enjoy

more and more people are starting to grapple with climate despair and grief and anxiety about the ecological collapse we see happening around us you can be devastated you can be pissed you can get angry and these are all totally natural reactions society often

says something is wrong with you or makes you think something is wrong with you if you're upset or if you're depressed or if you're feeling down but given the reality of our situation and the ecological collapse and the climate crisis we're now facing and the absolute failure of leadership at all levels big corporations and corrupt politicians putting profit and power and greed in themselves and shareholders over people and the planet our well-being our safety our health and the opportunity to live a good life ourselves and even more so for our kids and grandkids and so when you look at the reality of the situation

it's completely normal to feel upset by that to feel despair at what we see of species dying

increasing hurricanes wildfires floods sea level rise the picture is grim and that's the reality so you should be feeling those things it's completely natural but most of us don't really sit with those feelings we shy away from them we look away

they're uncomfortable but they're there for a reason

and what i've realized and many others have realized by sitting with these feelings is that we have them because we love life we love earth we love our family and friends and we want a healthy livable safe and prosperous future

so on the flip side of this climate despair and grief and anxiety and anger which is all totally warranted if you look behind the curtain you realize that that's all happening because of love we feel those things because we love life so much because we have a sense of right and wrong and

what's going on right now is all sorts of [ __ ] up

and so this is a useful to know because all those feelings are confusing and many of us are just starting to grapple with them and haven't they can be a little hard to figure out but this is also really important because it shows you what it is you're fighting for

for a long time we've just known what we're against we're against climate change or against corruption and big corporations ruining the lives of communities and people around the world with their malpractices just so they can profit for their shareholders we know we're against ecological devastation and the ravages of climate change but we don't talk about we're for nearly enough once you realize why you're upset at all these things and angry and pissed and sad and anxious

you realize that there's this incredibly powerful motivator of love and instead of being motivated by all those negative emotions you can operate you can be motivated out of a place of deep love and appreciation for life in the future and family for your home and the people you love

and that is incredibly powerful to understand and be motivated by