https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1476271438814498822.html
'The entire world is telling us, each and every day, that the biggest problems
we face have individual solutions, from masks to carbon footprints. And of
course it feels overwhelming, because none of us is capable of fixing the
world. Of course it feels like too much: it is.
I keep thinking about this (I think Tumblr?) post about Katniss Everdeen, and
how an entire generation took the wrong message from the
Hunger Games,
because in the books, it's clear that real change came from collective
organizing, but we focus on this one lone heroine.
You can see this with so many problems, even in the climate movement — the
focus is often on the tortured individual who really gets it, the beleaguered
climate scientist or activist — and we rarely hear about the less glamorous
work of organizing or even mutual aid.
There's a reason the fossil fuel industry bought into the idea of carbon
footprints — by focusing on what your'e doing, you're not focusing on what
they're doing. This doesn't mean individual actions don't matter — it's just
the wrong framework. It's a distraction.
Marching, voting, lifestyle changes, etc. are not, and have never been about
individuals. The utility of an individual action is in the greater whole it
contributes to ("what is an ocean but a multitude of drops?").
So if it feels like climate change is too much any one person to solve alone:
you're right! It is. And let this be the year you realize that, and stop
beating yourself up for not being enough.
I am gently and warmly inviting you to evaluate your response to the enormity
— the global, existential, massiveness — of climate change. Instead of, "this
is too big, I can't do this," try, "this is so big, we will do this together."
Instead of, "climate change is a structural problem, so my actions don't
matter," try, "climate change is a structural problem, so our actions matter."
And then find a community of people who are doing the work in the ways that
speak to you, and pitch in. Because you are needed.'
Via Susan ****
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
