We are living in the midst of multiple disasters. As in the famous curse: 'May you live in interesting times', we find ourselves in the midst of unprecedented changes that have a negative impact on individuals and on humanity in general. So much so that I'm damn tired of hearing the word 'unprecedented'. The worldwide plague, climate catastrophes and anti-people governments are all difficult developments to deal with. The worst of these for me is the climate disaster. I haven't lost my job or loved ones to the pandemic and I'm lucky to live in one of the few remaining progressive democracies.
The sheer scale of the climate problem demands daily attention, yet I need to go and look for updates because the news media buries climate news. The spectacular list of countries having wildfires, floods and hurricanes at the moment is something most people are not even aware of. Still, personal impacts in the form of days filled with toxic smoke and several damaging hailstorms have reached even the previously unaware in our community.
How does one deal with the flood of bad news, once you are aware of it? I'm doing it by concentrating on the best personal actions I can take to eliminate my own carbon footprint. Solar power, more insulation, and getting rid of the ICE vehicle are all personal projects I'm undertaking. Beyond that, I am constantly advocating for change, at every level of government and during each corporate interaction. We do what we can, and hope that we can drag our society, inch by inch, towards new and better ways of doing things.
Enjoy the glimmers of hope that come with each positive change. Spend some effort making the world you want to see. May you come out the other side of interesting times into stable, secure, and boring times once again.