#4 Finding hope again

I recently read “Active Hope” by Joanna Macy and Chris Johnstone. This book feels like the perfect companion on my journey. I read most of it in a little hut in the bush where I went to rest and recover from a hard winter before beginning this new job. I feel like the authors took me by the hand and led me gently into the familiar feelings of overwhelm and cynicism that seem to shroud topics like climate change and through to a more hopeful and inspired state.

Joanna and Chris teach us to feel the despair and grief of the world without turning away or avoiding it. When we stop defending against the pain and feel it, it begins to soften us and becomes a powerful motivating force. The book encourages us to acknowledge the incredible gifts we receive every day, just by being alive on this planet. Gratitude builds connection and trust and it begins to feel easier to respond. They call this “the spiral of the work that reconnects”.

Joanna and Chris frame our challenge in facing the environmental crisis as an epic adventure story - we are heroes that find a way through against seemingly impossible odds. They invite us to hold in mind what we truly long for and to take whatever steps we can find to get there.

The big consolation is that I'm not alone

During the course of reading Active Hope, I went from feeling like an isolated individual striving to be good enough, to an intrinsic part of something beautiful. The key message I got from the book is that I  belong and can contribute just as I am.  I wrote the following words in my diary to capture the transition that I want to commit to (I drew the pictures to try to capture the feeling):

When I view myself as an isolated individual, the crisis we’re facing feels totally alarming, overwhelming and impossible because it’s So much bigger than me! But if I see myself as an intrinsic part of a larger intelligent web of life, I can rest back and trust that contribution will be enough. I don’t need to solve the whole problem. I just need to make myself available and be responsive and open to those around me.

This shift feels huge for me. 

“When we move beyond thoughts of individual achievement and consider what our actions, when combined with the actions of others, can bring about, we open to a more gripping story”
Joanna Macy & Chris Johnstone, Active Hope, 2012

3 good reasons to feel hopeful:

  1. Change wants to happen. Joanna and Chris describe the period of time we live in as a transformation at the scale of the Agricultural and Industrial Revolutions in which the whole basis of society is transformed. They call this shift “The Great Turning” and say that “When a change wants to happen, it looks for people to act through. How do we know a change wants to happen? We feel the want inside us.”
  2. History shows us that change is possible. Anyone that has ever stood up for anything worthwhile has felt overwhelmed and outnumbered at the start. Clarkson and Wilberforce’s efforts to challenge slavery were ridiculed and dismissed before they got any traction. The same was true for suffragettes fighting for women to vote, Galileo suggesting the earth was round and Nelson Mandela challenging appartied. Change always looks impossible before it happens. But history shows that people change again and again.
  3. Just because we can’t see the results of our efforts, doesn’t mean they’re not happening. Change is not linear. Our society is at a tipping point. At these times, the slightest actions can cause large-scale change - in either direction, catastrophic or regenerative. Joanna and Chris use the analogy of a bottle of water left in the freezer. For a long time there is no visible change as the water cools, and then suddenly tiny crystals form and the whole thing turns to ice. “When you’re close to a threshold, one tiny step can take you over it.” Joanna and Chris say. “Everything we do has ripples of influence extending far beyond what we can see.”

What does Active Hope mean for this project?

I’m so glad I read this book at the beginning of my journey. As I mentioned in my introductory post, the last time I tried to engage deeply with the issue of climate change, I burned out. It felt scary approaching the topic again. What if I just swim around in ideas and don’t achieve anything!? Reading Active Hope has taken away the feeling of panic that I won’t be enough. It’s allowed me to rest! Sometimes I fear that I don’t have enough to give, because my skills are intangible. I’m good at listening, connecting with people and writing stories - but what difference does that make? Joanna and Chris honour the importance of storytelling and supporting people spiritually to face their pain for the world and to open up to new possibilities. They make me feel like I have a place. My role is no more important than anyone else’s but it is essential! I’ve lowered my expectations, while allowing myself to feel more hopeful.

References:
Macy, J & Johnstone, C (2012). Active Hope: How to Face the Mess We're in without Going Crazy. New World Library
  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

#3 A call for “de-growth” from the chairman of Quatro Trust

Image
I’d like to introduce you to Tur Borren, the Chairman of Quatro Trust (and also my dear friend Mitzi’s Dad). Tur and I met years ago and hit it off immediately. I’ve always admired his questioning approach and his belief that people can solve the most difficult problems if they’re given the space and encouragement to focus. This is my drawing of Tur with two of his grandchildren who are some of his biggest inspirations. This whole project was Tur’s idea and I feel incredibly grateful to be in his team along with his sister Marceline and Mitzi who are acting as sounding boards and providing lots of knowledge, connections and encouragement. I’m going to let Tur introduce himself in his own words, by sharing an email he sent me earlier this week. In it he shares a key idea, which has inspired this project: Kia ora Loo. I am excited about your journey into communicating the interface between economics and climate change. Thank you for letting me join you. As you know I have been reading an...
Read more

#5 If your life feels pressured, this could be why

Image
I’ve just learnt something about money that is blowing my mind! I’ve been learning about the money system for a while now and about how credit and debt drive the economy - for example through this animated explanation by Ray Dalio . But the significance only began to dawn on me after talking to the amazing Helen Dew , an 85 year old Carterton resident, who’s a passionate advocate for alternative currencies. “People hardly ever question the nature of money,” she told Kim Hill in her recent interview on National Radio . “How did money get into the system? Where did it come from originally? You know! People don’t ask about that and it’s critical. It’s the central nervous system of everything we do and we don’t even ask questions about it. It’s like a fish. You ask a fish, ‘how’s the water? And the fish says “what water?” you know. We swim in it and we don’t understand the nature of it and how it all works and supports us.” “Money is the central nervous system of everything we do and we do...
Read more

#1 Join me on a journey to discover how economics impacts the environment

How to face a crisis without losing hope I’ve just been employed for a year (until Oct 2023) to research and write about the interface between economics and climate change. My last attempt to engage deeply with climate change was back in 2009 and 2010. I was awarded the Prime Minister's Science Communication Prize and I wanted to use the time and money it offered to contribute in a meaningful way to the climate crisis. You can read my blog posts from the time here . After about 9 months of research and investigation I burnt out. It felt so overwhelming and I didn't know what my role was or what ground I stood on. In the end I had to re-focus on my own development and healing to keep from falling apart. I haven't fully returned to the issue since - even though I care deeply about it. This is the first time since 2010 that I've felt ready to re-engage with climate change and what it means for us. I feel very well supported in my relationhsip and community and less ambitio...
Read more