The Experience of Being Future-Minded

In moments of reflection I look to the future and I am profoundly worried. I try it again on other days, hoping in a different time, in a different frame of mind, my assessment of where our current trajectory is taking us will be different. But to be honest, if I try to paint a rosy picture I know I am fooling myself. Deep down, I believe that we are in serious trouble if we don't make massive changes. Speaking to my sustainability-minded friends I know this is something they are faced with as well. I don’t know how everyone out there feels, but these are the extremes my thinking swings between:

On a Bad Day

I am extremely frustrated at the potential of human beings (myself included) to put the blinkers on, cacoon themselves in the never-before-seen-in-human-history level of comfort that we have been blessed with for the last few decades, and enjoy blissful, self-imposed, ignorance to the reality of the future of our planet and all the living things on it. I am extremely frustrated by people complaining about the state of politics but not doing anything to change it (it is a democracy after all). I am extremely frustrated by the time wasted on things that simply don't matter. I am extremely frustrated by the short-sightedness of the current debate around energy prices - no kidding renewables are not as cost-efficient as fossil fuels! In the short term, that is. GET EDUCATED. Denial and other non-productive psychological coping strategies are NOT appropriate responses to climate change. Normally I’m quite forgiving of the human condition, but this frustration has built up over a long period of time and frankly, I’m not overly appreciative of my future being put in jeopardy because of other people’s willing ignorance, selfishness and apathy.

On a Good Day

Here’s another jumble of thoughts:

What people decide should be done looks quite when their decisions are given power of influence (i.e. participatory decision making). Cultural norms strongly influence our actions and hope lies in the fact that culture is constantly changing, constantly being created by interactions between you and me and every other human being. Hard times bring out the best in human beings when a dash of hope is added to the mix. Most of the technology we need to transition to a sustainable way of living already exists; the real challenge lies in the implementation of policy and more specifically, citizens eliciting political will from their elected leaders to drive that policy.

Why I’m working at Western Power

Because of the second set of thoughts. The first set doesn’t lead to anything constructive.

I’m working at Western Power because I firmly believe in the link between community engagement and sustainability, which will be the topic of a series of upcoming blogs. I wanted to work in community engagement in the electricity sector because it is a key battleground in sustainability; if we can’t change the electricity sector we are up the proverbial creek. I’m excited to be stationed at these battlelines.

Does anyone else out there go through this kind of emotional rollercoaster? How do you go with maintaining hope and constructive thinking versus processing harsh realities?