Times are hard righ now
We all know that times are hard right now. Covid-19 is still running like wildfire through our communities, continuing evidence that climate change is nowhere near under control just because we stayed home for a few weeks or even months, and all at a time where so many countries in the world seem to have shall we say less than stellar examples of individuals as head of state.
With such seemingly insurmountable obstacles off course we sometimes feel discouraged to say the least. That's a given, but (and there is always a but) we cannot lose focus. I saw a satire drawing the other day where the threats we are facing were depicted in the form of tsunami one after the other. Covid-19 being the first and smallest followed by recession, climate change, and lastly ecosystems failure. This is not far from the truth of our situation. We are struggling right now, and in fact this is the smallest of the waves to come. Additionally, in the back of our mind we know it. What does that say about our ability to handle the bigger ones to come?
There is a silver linging
I have seen people (for the most part) rising to the occasion when it comes to the hard realities surrounding Covid-19. Staying home, homeschooling and social distancing have been tackled to the best of our abilities, social distancing respected, all of a sudden people overcome the need to shake your hand all the time (I’m so glad for that one - I was never a fan) and wearing a mask is now not synonymous with just having robbed a bank. I find that I have a larger belief that we as a collective can handle the other threats that we face. That is a plus, as I am sad to say this in many ways is a trial run.
We have been ignoring an even bigger challenge, and dare I say threat, for far to long. I am off course talking about climate change. Not for nothing, I know we were beginning to wake up just before Covid-19 but we were not there yet. Not by a long shot. We were shining a light on the problem. We were talking about it. Accepting it as a problem. The young were demanding action but in the end there was too much talk and not enough action. I have been asking myself why.
Learned Helplessness
There is this thing called learned helplessness. That is when a person is faced with a problem or situation that is just too big to get your head around and the solution is so unclear that you are paralyzed as to an action as a consequence. You acknowledge there is a problem but the road to the solutions is so difficult or complex that you are stunned into a standstill. You are aware but feel helpless.
How could your small contribution count towards a solution when whole countries aren’t able to meet their goal in CO2 emissions, and indeed many of them don’t seem to agree on solutions in general? This paralysis is learned helplessness. This condition is known in people who have and/or are still living in a state of continuing trauma, like victims of domestic violence, children who suffer sexual abuse or bullying, etc. It is the persistent state of pain or victimization that leads to us stop trying to fight or flight. But how does that relate to us? Are we then traumatized to the point of paralysis by the idea of climate change?
Yes we can
The short answer is yes. We hear these doomsday predictions about the collapse of vital ecosystems like our rain forests and coral reefs and we feel helpless to do anything about it. We hear that CO2 emissions must reduce drastically and we know we as individuals cannot change policies on the international scale. We are being bombarded with news about it everyday to the extent that our children are showing signs of climate stress. Does this mean we should stop talking about it? No, of course not. We just need to shift our focus.
We first have to acknowledge that we have this condition called learned helplessness. Secondly, we need to realize that both scientists and news outlets are out to shock your system (although these two groups have different motives). Scientists are screaming for attention and want help in tackling this enormous problem, while news has become a constant thriller in order to grab our attention. The small positive steps get drowned out by the scary thriller. But what to do with this information? How do we move from learned helplessness and towards informed action?
Baby steps
We take baby steps and do small things. That's it. Don't overdo it and try to be perfect and save the world on day one. Only a few people, if any, can obtain perfection in regards to climate change. It’s a complicated issue and each day new information is brought to light. We don't need perfection from a few annoying people (you know they would be just that), we need imperfection from all of us flawed but perfectly beautiful people. Every little thing counts and small steps from a lot of people count more than a few perfect ones ever do. You just need to analyze your little corner of the world, whether it is your home or how you travel to and from work. Everything counts. If you are doing something positive, you are a part of the solution. Maybe you will realize next month you can do a little more. Maybe your change in habits changes you a consumer and when enough of us do, the market will change, which in turn forces businesses to make a change.
The Butterfly effect
There is an analogy in chaos theory about a butterfly flapping its wings and coursing a typhoon on in another part of the world. Bear with me. It is when, in a nonlinear system (just means complex - many influencing factors - rings a bell), a small change can have a large effect at a later state. One small gesture on your part can have a huge effect down the road.
I am very well aware that you, or me or anyone, cannot save the planet on it's own in one day or even ever. It takes a lot of change to do that, but we all need to, and more importantly can, make a change. If we start with baby steps today maybe we'll take giant leaps tomorrow or next week. It takes a kind of faith. A faith that your efforts matter. So lets start flapping our little butterfly wings and take a leap of faith.