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Losing Yourself In the Patterns of Nature
Sunrise. Sunset
The world is not falling apart at the seams. I know, I know. Look at the news! Our civilization might be unwinding, but the world is not falling apart. Despite our determined efforts to despoil planet Earth, the planet herself isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
We talk about the end of the world, but Earth with her mountains, oceans, plant and animal life, and glorious sunrises and sunsets will outlast all of us. The climate crisis is more about the end of humanity than it is the Earth. It’s the end of our dominion, not the end of the planet. Though to be fair, we are taking a number of other species down with us at the moment.
That doesn’t mean that we shouldn't work to reverse course. We should work to limit climate change and find a way to live in harmony with the Earth and in peace with one another. I’m deeply committed to these aims.
However, walking around feeling like we are doomed will not help change anything.
Hope is an essential ingredient for change. If you don’t hope for a better future, why bother agitating for change?
One thing we humans excel at is centering our own experiences. You and I both think we’re the center of the universe. We aren’t even cogs in the great gearbox of the infinite universe.
