Surviving the Change

Reading the Sunday news and I noticed another ‘what’s going on!?’ article in the editorial section. This week, it was a piece by Simon Tisdall in the Guardian relating the political stalemate in France to the general feeling that democracy is under threat. As Westerners, let’s not feel persecuted here: everyone is feeling threatened by global wealth inequality, political instability, nature and climate collapse, the development of AI. As I’ve written before - history has much to teach us about how society reacts to threats.

The History Lesson

I believe our entire civil, political, legal and technological landscape will change significantly over the next several years. This is not meant to be provocative nor doomed. I believe this because it has happened many times before, for the same reasons as today. The threats we feel will drive hate and intolerance into the open arms of nationalism and isolation. Greedy people will take advantage and authoritarianism will rise. Groups split by wealth, ideology, or resources will be quick to take up arms over their disagreements.

Whatever the specifics, societal change is inevitable and the disruption it is causing - and will cause - couldn’t be happening at a worse time. The Planet needs us focused on changing our behaviour to reduce extraction and over-consumption. Many of us in the ‘restore the Planet’ group feel angry and betrayed, adding more fuel to the hate and intolerance. How do we choose to move forward?

My Responsibility

The consequences of losing hope will result in some pretty bad outcomes. I want to join with others who believe that reducing the pain and suffering of all living things over the next decade is our primary purpose now. There are many actions we must take, but 3 stand out to me as immediately necessary:

1. Support leaders who want to help negotiate equitable change without bloodshed, recognise them as the ones who don’t talk about blame.
2. Get off social media entirely; regardless of the platform used, the misinformation drives us apart and ramps up intolerance. (Need more proof? Watch this excellent Veritasium video (starting at 16:59min in if you’re pushed for time) explaining the impact social media has on our behaviour under the spotlight of game theory)
3. Find at least one reputable news source that provides high-quality, independent journalism. It’s an expensive business to provide properly fact-checked information written by professionals who care about the truth unencumbered by vested commercial interests. Pay for it directly, with real money. We will be in serious trouble if it dies.

Our children's ability to lead in 10 years time with more respect of the natural balance, starts today. I believe a robust appreciation for the rule of law, journalism, education and community-level accountability is a great place to start. Our role is not to preserve a way of life or an ideology, but to help prepare the following generations to live in harmony with our environment. That’s why I want to stay focused, committed and positive.

Staying Positive

There are many ways to stay positive and the sensible ones start with accepting the reality of our situation1:

• changing our behaviour will take more time than we have,
• technology can not save us,
• we will not be able to avoid collapse of some key earth systems.

Breathe. This is not defeatist. I can accept and move forward, with clarity. I would suggest that accepting reality is a healthy way to get inspired and motivated into action if you truly understand what is important and urgent.

I was looking for something action orientated to help lay this out. I borrowed an easy framework - SPIRE - from Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar’s work in the field of Positive Psychology. I think it can be useful in helping to frame daily life and remain invested in our future, however the events play out.

Here are some possible definitions for the SPIRE acronym:

• (S)piritual - cultivating a sense of alignment with a greater good
• (P)hysical - ensuring the body supports the mind and spirit
• (I)ntellectual - finding opportunities for mental growth and engagement
• (R)elational - strengthening social support systems
• (E)motional - accumulating positive experiences to sustain positive energy

I then tried to make this actionable, like I was planning to run a marathon or learn something new. In other words, start small with deliberate, daily intentions. Since the health and beauty of nature is my focus, I crafted my own plan with that objective in mind. Your plan - if you give this a try - will obviously be different and more personal to you.

Here’s how: for each dimension in SPIRE, consider these 5 things:

1. Objective: what do I want to achieve?
2. Exercise: how will I cultivate a daily habit?
3. Recovery: when and how do I need to reflect and consolidate?
4. Feedback: who can I approach for guidance, inspiration or to help solve issues?
5. Gratitude: who is supporting me and how can I support them?

Mine looks like this, and - as you will see - it is still a work in progress. If you have ideas and feedback on this approach, I’d love to hear them.

Now the hard part: sticking to it everyday! The lesson I’m learning in my middle years is that positive attitudes are the result of daily habits.

A Personal 'Mantra' of Affirmation

(Plagiarized over the years from many more impressive people than I)

As I breathe in, I feel alive.

I breathe out, I smile at this moment;

I am living healthily,

I am loved,

I love.

As I breath in, I feel present.

I breathe out, I smile at this moment;

I am living simply without waste and clutter,

prioritising what is important,

making time for myself.

As I breathe in, I feel connected.

I breathe out, I smile at this moment;

I am finding joy,

and compassion,

with all things.

Footnotes

1. If you want to lean into this idea of acceptance, take a read of ‘Breaking Together: A Freedom-loving response to collapse’ by Jem Bendell (2023).