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Hi. There was a time years ago, when I felt I was going crazy, yelling into the void, while everyone around me was saying nothing is happening. The Spice Girls

Hi. There was a time years ago, when I felt I was going crazy, yelling into the void, while everyone around me was saying nothing is happening. The Spice Girls breaking up made all the headlines the day the Union of Concerned Scientists report that the world was burning was regulated to a clip on page 20. It was like living in a Twilight Zone episode. Later, I realized I was in a stage of grief, and I've gone through all the stages over the course of a decade. Since, I've had discussions with psychologist friends who have gone through a similar process, and they also strongly believe that everyone is in a stage of grief about climate change. Most people are in denial. It's just too big to deal with so they avoid it. When they are finally pulled out of denial, they get angry, start raging and protesting at the people still in denial to change their ways. Then they start bargaining, coming up with ideas like moving inland and going off grid, or reducing emissions. Depression comes when they realize nothing will make a difference, so may as well kill ourselves now. Then acceptance that the world as we know it is probably going to end, perhaps slowly over the next few generations or tomorrow if a tipping point is reached that creates the perfect storm. They make peace with it and live the best life they can, which often looks like being in denial again. It's a painful process to go through. I was lucky and came out the side the most balanced and happy I've ever been, I came to the conclusion that I wasn't going crazy. Society is crazy, learning about climate change makes you crazier. I was going un-crazy, letting go of my delusions about society and the world and my delusions that I could change people. As to your question, I've actually considered training to become a therapist to help people going through a similar journey. I think it's going to become an important field in the future.

roryisok 8y ago
I've definitely felt like I'm in the stages of grief. This feels accurate. We're collectively facing our own mortality, in the way that everyone who lives long enough must eventually. And just like that personal mortality, the future is unknown. Our world could end next year, or in a hundred years. I can't save myself or my family any more than I can stop them getting a fatal disease or being hit by a truck. All we can do is spend all the time we've got together, and hope it's longer rather than shorter. I hope that doesn't sound too morbid. It's a good philosophy to live by regardless of whether or not the end is nigh. To put it another way, the world is going to end in our lifetimes. And that's ok. Because the world ends for everybody, at the end of their life.

roryisok 8y ago

I've definitely felt like I'm in the stages of grief. This feels accurate. We're collectively facing our own mortality, in the way that everyone who lives long enough must eventually. And just like that personal mortality, the future is unknown. Our world could end next year, or in a hundred years. I can't save myself or my family any more than I can stop them getting a fatal disease or being hit by a truck. All we can do is spend all the time we've got together, and hope it's longer rather than shorter. I hope that doesn't sound too morbid. It's a good philosophy to live by regardless of whether or not the end is nigh. To put it another way, the world is going to end in our lifetimes. And that's ok. Because the world ends for everybody, at the end of their life.