All indications, at least from reliable climate science, are that we are hurtling towards eco-apocalypse. Yet, every day, we hear government and industry leaders plan for a future that completely ignores the most vital message of our times. I listen to the news on the radio; we need more infrastructure, we are planning for more business, we are spending more on weapons, we continue to be motivated by growth.
My fleeting experiences of mass media give me an outsiders view; the kind you see when you look at a place with fresh eyes, trying to discern its over-riding themes and messages. There is a lot of beer and skittles, bread and circus action, of course, which does its job of keeping most people from thinking about important things like societal direction and cohesion in a time of increasing chaos … but more importantly, there is this ongoing fantasy that the way we live is going to continue.
[Warning: don’t watch this video with the kids around, or if you’re feeling squeamish about curent trends in facisct violence. It’s genuinely disturbing in the second half. But, hey, how are we going to acknowledge that the party is over if we don’t face its depravity every now and then?]
It is as if the melting of the poles, the increasingly terrifying storms, the disappearing island atolls, bushfires in winter, earth-cracking droughts becoming worse, the insect apocalypse are all just more items on the 24/7 entertainment landscape. What is still touted as ‘real life,’ the everyday norm we still enjoy (for now), is a dangerous fantasy, because it ensures that most of our attention is devoted to keeping this disastrously eco-cidal downward spiral of destruction continuing.
In times like this, imagination is the most important faculty we have. Also very high on the list are trusting actual scientists, being suspicious of what political leaders are motivated by, ignoring media hype about celebrity and sharing fine sentiments with friends and loved ones … but using our imagination to find new ways of being, which are less carbon dependent and more community minded, is absolutely vital. Remember your roots in deep culture folks! Trust in self, join with others, find your soul in nature, indulge in music and dance and poetry and live as if there is no tomorrow. Otherwise, we may need to š