Tony, Thanks for this essay. I also realized a few months ago that the best place to find peace is in focusing on the present moment. I like your addition of seeing through the eyes of “love”. Another thought experiment I am using when feeling afraid of the ‘cult of bullies’, is to ask myself, “Am I safe now?”. I ask myself this as many times as needed until I can land the experience of being safe.
Thank you for this post. We can all do this if we choose too. Every morning when I come down to the kitchen, in the here and now I see pheasants on the lawn, all sorts of tits on the bird feeders, squirrels ( digging up our lawn!), the horses in our stables, our dogs greeting me as if I had been away for months. That’s love, and it feels so much more powerful than hope or anxiety.
Wonderful column. As a climate scientist, I'm not hoping, ever. I agree it's not useful or productive. Instead, I tell people, the Bad News is that the problem is rapidly worsening. The Better News is, anything and everything we do to ramp down carbon burning, the less eventual impact our planet will see. Do not, do not ever give up on societal action, group action. Because giving up is what the fossil fuel industrialists want us to do. Keep on pushing, keep on voting. Like our future depends on it.
When it comes to hope and doomerism, I like to say that action is the antidote. Mostly because it changes our identity and sense of connection, or love. For me, being in the moment is often being outside alone or with others. In today's stressful times, I need to be able to rest as well. Maybe I offered this before. https://skywaterearthhobie1.substack.com/p/walking-in-snow
Tony, Thanks for this essay. I also realized a few months ago that the best place to find peace is in focusing on the present moment. I like your addition of seeing through the eyes of “love”. Another thought experiment I am using when feeling afraid of the ‘cult of bullies’, is to ask myself, “Am I safe now?”. I ask myself this as many times as needed until I can land the experience of being safe.
Beautiful Kevin. I can't find any other way through this. When I let go, I find out that nearly all the time, I am safe. That helps.
Thank you for this post. We can all do this if we choose too. Every morning when I come down to the kitchen, in the here and now I see pheasants on the lawn, all sorts of tits on the bird feeders, squirrels ( digging up our lawn!), the horses in our stables, our dogs greeting me as if I had been away for months. That’s love, and it feels so much more powerful than hope or anxiety.
Indeed! More powerful and, curiously, more empowering. Wouldn't you say?
Wonderful column. As a climate scientist, I'm not hoping, ever. I agree it's not useful or productive. Instead, I tell people, the Bad News is that the problem is rapidly worsening. The Better News is, anything and everything we do to ramp down carbon burning, the less eventual impact our planet will see. Do not, do not ever give up on societal action, group action. Because giving up is what the fossil fuel industrialists want us to do. Keep on pushing, keep on voting. Like our future depends on it.
Anthony,
Thank you. I like this perspective.
When it comes to hope and doomerism, I like to say that action is the antidote. Mostly because it changes our identity and sense of connection, or love. For me, being in the moment is often being outside alone or with others. In today's stressful times, I need to be able to rest as well. Maybe I offered this before. https://skywaterearthhobie1.substack.com/p/walking-in-snow
Thanks and enjoy.
- Hobie Stocking