Have a Lovely Weekend.

Also, I am getting so exhausted with this “environmentalism equals self denial” chorus— in order to make real progress here, we need to be able to show that environmentalism equals ABUNDANCE. That we will live in a richer, healthier, happier world (where you can get a massage and see a secret waterfall) only if we commit to saving the planet from climate apocalypse. Technology exists that lets us eat our cake and have it too but we need commitment from politicians to break our addiction to fossil fuels and make real infrastructure investments in renewable energy.

Ok, getting off my soapbox

I understand where you are coming from because there is a part of me that feels I’ve given up hope that we can change the trajectory that we are on. Still, I haven’t given up in actions because I just can’t give up, our actions are all we have. I don’t know where we are headed or what’s going to happen, but at least I try to do the best I can (and I am by no means perfect, I do a lot of things I shouldn’t). I would suggest that you be forgiving with yourself, though, and strive for the best balance you can. Maybe a massage could really help you relax, so go ahead and do that for yourself. The impact is relatively minimal. On the other hand, flying less (not necessarily never) is a high impact, worthwhile change. Try to choose “less” rather than “never”, focus on what you do for the environment (rather than what you don’t) and really let yourself feel great about the choices… you are making a difference and you are part of a growing force of people changing their ways. You are not alone. A lot of games have been won in the last few minutes… the key is not giving up because then we’ve lost for sure.

Enjoy the little things, the small moments, and focus on what you do have and what you gain from your choices (eg: spending less money on tripS =more financial independence and less debt). A final thought: we live in a culture that tells us we should be doing and buying and having all these things that we don’t truly need. The consumer culture makes us feel so crappy and deprived when we choose not to take part. But the truth is that we really don’t need so many of those things, and the real deprivation comes from wasting our resources (including our own money) on things we are ‘supposed’ to have and do. It’s a fabricated need and an externally imposed desire. We don’t need all that stuff. I say enjoy the “creative deprivation”/ “voluntary simplicity” (it’s an actual thing). We are living in challenging times. No easy answers, but remember that you are not alone. Sending love, xoxo

Unpopular opinion perhaps: go a week without doing all these things and see if you feel better.

Take a bath, get a massage, eat whatever the hell you want.

And I believe this is how to avoid a sense of martyrdom in the most general sense: instead of focusing on SAVING something, focus on LOVING IT. For example, you could go on long walks admiring the earth. You could bathe in a river! You could garden extensively. You could adopt a rescue animal. You could clean up trash outside. My point is, if energetically you’re doing something from a place of love, I bet you’ll feel better and might have better results.

Here’s the thing: the planet doesn’t need us to save it. The planet will simply become inhabitable for the human race, but it will continue. Do you think the planet gives a shit dinosaurs are extinct? The planet needs us to LOVE it if we want to live here. And if you do things for the earth from a place of love vs. obligation, I think you’ll feel better AND have better results.

You are definitely not alone. However. While there is enormous pressure being placed upon the individual to make conscious choices to “save the planet” (and I do think it’s vital that we each “vote with our dollars” and make more conscious choices where possible), the fact is that what needs to happen is legislation that effects change on the industrial level. If you want to see change then use your activist energy to write your local legislators and just cc ALL of them. Include the White House.

Every time I see a car commercial I feel a jolt of anxiety because I see the endless stream of gasoline vehicles – full of plastic fixtures and synthetic upholstery that will never biodegrade – STILL being released into the world IN 2019/2020 and the literally millions of people who will blithely purchase them knowing where we stand. We all know gas cars should have been phased out in the 70’s and that’s why we are in the position we’re in right now.

As for massages, why not bring your own towels for them to use? Then you can wash according to your parameters. Avo’s? Eat them very occasionally.

Thank you, friends, for your thoughtful responses to my question about climate despair. I am absolutely guilty of both 1. hating myself for not doing more and 2. judging other people for seemingly not doing anything. (Sarah – the bathroom heater! I would go nuts! Here it’s idling trucks *everywhere*. Just be cold or hot for a minute until the cab adjusts, for goodness’ sake!) I am aware this does not make me someone people seek out! I will set to work on compassion for myself, for others, for the planet, for everyone and everything.

Your responses have given me a lot to think about, and I appreciate your time. And to Joanna and the CoJ team, thank you as always for creating this warm, welcoming space where people feel comfortable asking difficult questions. Having a forum like this has helped me (and I’m sure so many others) more than you know.

Just came here to say I am loving this comment thread. Thank you, E, for sharing your true heart and opening up the dialogue about how difficult it can be to make sacrifices. Your dedication is inspiring! Thank you to the others here who’ve shared constructive ideas. What a cool place CoJ can be. xo

E… I think your heart is in the right place, and I personally appreciate all of your efforts, but I get the feeling you’re getting a little crushed by weltschmerz.

Sometimes I have to remind myself that even when it seems chaotic, there is a harmony in the darkness and light around us. I’m not trying to gladclub you or anything, but focusing on all the things that are going wrong, and how helpless you are in the face of it, will blind you absolutely from joy, pleasure, and satisfaction with your own life and choices.

Have you heard of poetry medicine? Well, I’m going to prescribe to you Edna St Vincent Millay’s “Renascence.”

In this poem, the author can’t just notice the pain of the world, she takes it personally. All sins are her sins for which she must atone. All human failures are hers to regret. All suffering in nature is hers to prevent and hers to experience. It does not take long before the burden of these sorrows and sense of personal responsibility is so heavy that it pushes her into her grave. But, once six feet under, she misses life. She wants to smell the orchards and see blue skies and feel the rain and the breeze. So she re-emerges, now braced to balance her awareness with her sense of personal responsibility for the world around her:

“The world stands out on either side
No wider than the heart is wide;
Above the world is stretched the sky,—
No higher than the soul is high.
The heart can push the sea and land
Farther away on either hand;
The soul can split the sky in two,
And let the face of God shine through.
But East and West will pinch the heart
That can not keep them pushed apart;
And he whose soul is flat—the sky
Will cave in on him by and by.”

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/55993/renascence

Agreed. I’m in the UK and the last few years have been scary, and getting worse. My 3 year old son LOVES going out wearing his kippah and tsitsit, and every time he does my heart is in my throat. I want him to b proud of being Jewish, but at the same time I don’t want him to be a target. Scary times

Came here to say the same thing.

Maria— I’m with you. Antisemitism always seems to be a canary in a coal mine, as they say. Never a good sign for Jewish people or anyone else.