How the myth of progress robs us of hope

When we feel like things are sliding backwards, it’s hard to stay optimistic.

TL:DR/Summary: This meme but an essay… but about the wider global story rather than any notion of personal “success” and without the arrow necessarily continuing upwards…

• The narrative of progress is flawed and far from being simple. This story was also used to justify colonialism
• When we believe things are destined to keep getting better, any setback can feel catastrophic and make us feel hopeless — as we imagine this means “everything is going to sh*t”
• By taking a more balanced approach, we can adopt a more realistic outlook on life and be more prepared for setbacks
• On the other hand, having a positive, inspiring vision to aim for is important… if we can keep the balance and make sure we’re doing things for their own worth, not only for a promised outcome
• While the oil industry benefits from the narrative of “it’s too late”, we really do need to act now to make sure this isn’t true!

If you know me, you know that I’ve been quite convinced that social, economic and ecological collapse are just around the corner for a while. Along with many in the Deep Adaptation network, I gravitated to the narrative that it’s too late for the massive overhaul we…