OUR CHANGING WORLD
Staring Down a Mamba
Awakening From a Social Hypnosis
The black mamba is the largest, most lethal, and most aggressive poisonous snake in Africa. Its coffin-shaped head, black-blue mouth, and imposing size give it a sinister appearance. One specimen found in Zimbabwe was 4.4 m long! Encountering a black mamba in the wild is so terrifying that some people instantly freeze, hypnotised by its pitiless eyes.
The paralysis in this instance is helpful, as the snake will usually slither away unless it feels threatened.
Temporary paralysis is a common experience when people face an overwhelming feeling of helplessness. Perhaps it is a defense mechanism against going mad from fear.
The apprehension we currently experience due to climate change, technological advancement, and social upheaval is society’s “black mamba”. A sense of powerlessness against staggering odds paralyses people to avoid facing reality. We disguise this fear by pretending not to care. It is hard to accept that the world might become unliveable, and we will all perish.
The cynic might suggest that many do nothing because they want to continue watching the apocalypse playing out on social media. Tim Andersen, Ph.D. Why people don’t care about global warming.
To jerk people out of this daze, we have to convince them that that doom is not inevitable. We can avoid destruction by shifting our minds and changing the direction of society.
What Will It Take To Change the Mindset of Society
Shifting the mindset of society is not impossible. Karl Marx did it, and half of the world turned communist. That didn’t work out too well.
So we can make the right changes if we are willing, and we have an excellent reason to do it — our continued existence. We need to show those who doubt their abilities and feel powerless that together we are powerful.
We need to illustrate that millions of us together can achieve miracles if we each contribute just a little bit. Once we attain an objective as a part of this formidable team, we will experience pride and joy and become eager to join in the next environmental project.
We need to stop equating happiness with material possessions. If we give it more than a cursory thought, we’ll conclude that it is actually the opposite. Consumerism forces us to compare what we have to what others have. We are envious of the lifestyle of celebrities and attempt to imitate them. We should remember that many of them suffer from depression, live miserable lives, and even commit suicide.
The problem with this mindset is that we will constantly feel inferior and unhappy if we don’t have what others have. Each of us is unique, with unique desires. So we will never be content with copying others.
Minimalism is a state of mind where we buy only essential items and reject anything that interferes with our serenity. This saves money, which buys us time to focus on the things that matter. It also keeps us free from unnecessary debt. There is no sacrifice involved, and it brings benefits to our lifestyle.
Too often, the environmental movement is associated with sacrifice, which makes people reluctant to get involved in conservation. We need to reframe minimalism and encourage people to think about its benefits.
The problem is that many people work, sometimes two or three jobs, to make ends meet and keep a roof over their heads and food on the table. Their minds are preoccupied with survival, and they have no time to think beyond those narrow parameters. Minimalism will improve this situation, give people more time to think and liberate huge potential through lateral thinking.
By releasing the intellectual power locked within our psyche, we can devise a new model of society that will provide more cheerful realities for all. Thankfully more and more people are realising the errors that brought us to the present situation, and they recognise it is time for a change.
We are approaching a critical mass of people who recognise the seriousness of the problem we are facing and are prepared to engage in a battle to turn society back from the brink of disaster. When we reach critical mass, a chain reaction will ignite, and we have to be ready with a plan to guide it in the right direction.
To assist like-minded people in their efforts to protect and rejuvenate nature, we have to create a system within which we can coordinate the diverse efforts of millions of people. The platform needs to cut across multiple networks, organisations, institutions, societies and communities. Mike Meyer We Must Build a New Future Now. Channels of communication have to provide and collate information so that collaborators can monitor the progress of their mutual efforts and their contributions within the network.
On this foundation, we can develop other structures, institutions, practices and behavioural patterns.
We need to discard the old thinking that got us where we are and build a new world based on an environmental economy with no growth restrictions.
We must pool our intellectual resources with like-minded people, create a collective vision of the world we want to live in, and together turn the dream into reality!
Ante
October 2021
