Secrets and Hope in Our Mad World

Early in 2017 I read George Marshall’s book ‘Don’t Even Think About It: Why We are Wired Not to Think About Climate Change’ and I decided I would think about it. And I would read about it. Then I would write about it.

I write as a 'non-expert' and I'm hoping that your comments will help me to see whether the insights I've

gained make sense, whether the conclusions stack up and whether it's realistic for me to start feeling

hopeful about the future .

August 17th - Let's get on to the good stuff ...


I've become pretty elated because I've begun to understand. It seems that many of the world's problems can be understood if they are viewed as resulting from industrial consumer capitalism's need for growth. If wars didn't make money for arms manufacturers would there be so many wars?  If it didn't suit the market for folk to be living independently (each buying a washing machine etc) would more people be living more communally with less social isolation?  If selling cars and building roads wasn't such a good money maker wouldn't more people be travelling by train? If sex didn't sell wouldn't our children be left to grow up more slowly?  Etc ... etc ... etc ...
What's more, as capitalism strides across the globe it's destroying the rich diversity of human cultures and spreading the social unease and individual unhappiness which so often accompanies the inequality which is its hallmark.
Of course other forms of organising human life have had their problems and capitalism has brought many out of poverty, but isn't it time humanity grew up and found a better path?
A problem for me is that in getting some understanding of these things I've begun to feel pretty depressed. The future doesn't look too good does it?
So I'm now going to look at the good stuff. I'm going to see how people are working towards a better way of life.  I've promised myself to switch off from the doom and gloom and engage with all that folk are doing. How are Transition Towns doing?  What's happened to 'Occupy'?  And then there are farmers markets, folk downsizing, social entrepreneurs and community gardeners.  That should make me feel good.  
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3 comments:

  1. Chris Keene18 August 2013 at 03:44

    It's a very good idea to focus on the positive, otherwise you can just end up depressed. Concentrate on things that are actually happening, rather than just being discussed. Here in Norwich Transition Norwich have set up a community supported agriculture scheme, called Norwich Farmshare, and there is also the Sustainable Living Initiative who help people to grow their own food

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  2. Anonymous24 August 2013 at 16:45

    Good to have your thoughts on this Eileen;
    other positives include www.cat.org.uk for the Centre for Alternative Technology, good journal and some steady research to support sustainable futures;

    and I recommend the Economist article about money growing on trees, http://www.economist.com/node/17062651
    using more advanced accounting to support better outcomes.
    Cheers
    Nick

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    Replies
    1. Finding & Harnessing Hope25 August 2013 at 01:08

      Thanks for that Nick I will look them up but from what I've discovered a big problem is that the profit motive hooks into certain aspects of our personality - status seeking, sexual appetite - at the expense of other aspects of our make up - community, co-operation - and, while the profit motive is what drives the world economy, however hard we work on sustainable technology we will continue to use up the Earth resources at an unsustainable rate. How can we discover that material possessions (and the emotional/social price we pay for them) don't necessarily make us happy? Tim Jackson says it brilliantly in his TED talk. Am a great fan of Tim Jackson.

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