When asked at colleges if I am pessimistic or optimistic about the future, my answer is always the same: If you look at the science that describes what is happening on earth today and aren’t pessimistic, you don’t have the correct data. If you meet the people in this unnamed movement and aren’t optimistic, you haven’t got a heart. What I see are ordinary and some not-so-ordinary individuals willing to confront despair, power, and incalculable odds in an attempt to restore some semblance of grace, justice, and beauty to this world.
~Paul Hawken
Claiming Joy & Healing Amidst the Climate Emergency 
3 responses to “Take Time To Renew Your Spirit”
Love it Christine! Thank you for this.
Thanks for dropping by, Tammy – and for being one of the people making a positive difference in this world.
Hawken captures the paradox perfectly. I know earth science types who, over beers, are incredibly pessimistic yet put all that aside, go to work, and plug away trying to make some difference. I have chosen to ‘do my bit’ too. I’d love to go on the overseas trips I used to take quite regularly, for example. But I have changed my ways in many aspects. I do it because I know that, while I may not be making any discernible change here at home, I choose not to contribute unnecessarily to those less fortunate, more vulnerable in the poorest corners of the world. It’s a purely moral decision but it’s one that those who simply ignore it also make in their own ways.
I think I’ve shrunk my carbon footprint by about two-thirds. When I set out on this path I really believed it would mean a lot of painful sacrifice ‘for the greater good.’ What I discovered, to my great delight, is that changes don’t need to be sacrifices. Living smaller and better can be every bit as comfortable – and enjoyable – as the alternatives. It’s not sackcloth and ashes.