Are you half-empty or half-full?
On the climate crisis.
A cartoon
A thought
Climate activist
has written a cracker of a book: I Want a Better Catastrophe: Navigating the Climate Crisis with Grief, Hope and Gallows Humor.“With global warming projected to rocket past the 1.5°C limit, lifelong activist Andrew Boyd is thrown into a crisis of hope, and off on a quest to learn how to live with the “impossible news” of our climate doom.
He searches out eight leading climate thinkers — from collapse-psychologist Jamey Hecht to grassroots strategist adrienne maree brown, eco-philosopher Joanna Macy, and Indigenous botanist Robin Wall Kimmerer — asking them: “Is it really the end of the world? and if so, now what?”
You will know by now that the question I most often sit with is, How do I human, in a moral, joyful way at this point in time?” You will also know that I have more questions than answers and am making it up as I go along, but it is lovely to find friends on the journey asking the same questions.
I was delighted to find Andrew has a Substack: The Tragic Optimist.
His recent post inspired today’s cartoon:
There is something deeply powerful in Andrew’s chapter on optimism and pessimism (which I won’t do justice to here, so go read it!). Something that allows me to be with the truth that we are on the cusp of a world-shaking catastrophe, but we still have a choice about how we sit with it.
On the surface, Andrew’s question, Which self-fulfilling prophecy do you want to sign up for? seems like a trick. We know the world is going to get worse before it gets better. How can I be optimistic in the face of all that? Some definitions from Andrew:
"An optimist," says Peter Ustinov, turning our usual understanding upside down, "is one who knows exactly how bad a place the world can be; a pessimist is one who finds out anew every morning." In other words, a pessimist is someone who feels entitled to a better world. You did promise me a rose garden, says the pessimist. I keep looking around for it but it's not there. This pessimist is actually a disappointed ex-optimist who wakes up every morning feeling betrayed by reality.
Meanwhile, an optimist is someone who knows—and, crucially, accepts—how bad things are, and still believes she can do something to make a difference. Every morning she asks herself what can I do to make this steaming pile of shit we call our world a little bit better because I know I can. In this reading, the optimist is actually a hard-headed realist, while the pessimist is a disappointed idealist who can't get over his disappointment.”
I am trying to walk that path - hard-headed realism, hand in hand with joy and delight. When I look at the catastrophes unfolding, I can see doom. When I look for the helpers, for those with open hearts, taking whatever small steps they can, when I look for glimmers, awe and joy, optimism does become a self-fulfilling prophecy and makes it easier to walk the path with company of other good souls.
Glimmers and sparks*
My glimmers for today are:
A delicious ripper of a birthday cake made by my eldest - thank you, babe!
Small doggo curled up next to me, soaking up the sun.
Discovering the artwork of Francisco Goya and some Spanish history.
Li’l bean is your reminder to pause and ask: What are your glimmers for today?
From your friend and your small, steadfast companion,
*Drawing Li’l Bean helped me navigate out of a period of depression in 2023. A good friend 13, 595km away, helped, too, through a ritual of swapping daily glimmers via text.
A glimmer is a tiny spark of hope, enthusiasm or joy that lifts your heart. By helping me find three glimmers each day, she gently helped me see the joy and beauty already around me.
I’d like to share this practice with you and invite you to reflect on your glimmers for the day when you read this. Think of Li’l Bean as a reminder to notice the glimmers and sparks in your life. We’d love it if you would like to share your glimmers in the comments or by hitting reply (if you don’t like sharing publicly).
This is a lovely way to think about the world we a currently in. I'll be keeping this in my head. Thank you for sharing, as always. Also loved the phrase, "Delicious Ripper of a Birthday Cake."
A really interesting question. I just love these words: "When I look for the helpers, for those with open hearts, taking whatever small steps they can, when I look for glimmers, awe and joy, optimism does become a self-fulfilling prophecy and makes it easier to walk the path with company of other good souls." I would definitely describe myself as an optimist. Living a life of optimism and hope is what keeps me going in the face of the huge uncertainties in the world. If I didn't, I think it would be a very slippery slope downwards into apathy.