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ostrich or superglue?

By 27 May 2023June 1st, 2023No Comments

I am becoming increasingly aware of the decline of the health of our planet, with all the different facets in which this decline shows up: climate change, ecological break-down, migration of people, growing inequality etc…

 

Of course, all these issues have been on our collective radars for decades, but I am beginning to feel a sense of urgency in myself.

 

For a long time, I have held a binary type of belief around this whole complex topic: either I could play the ostrich and put my head in the sand, or I could become a climate/ecological activist and superglue myself to a motorway. Neither of these options quite worked for me. Other than tinkering around the edges by reducing my plastic usage, recycling and composting, and turning off unnecessary lights, I couldn’t quite work out what else I could do that would not require a complete take-over of my time and energy.

 

Yes, my vision of de-cluttering the world of everything that gets in our way does fit with a simpler life that is more choiceful about consumerism and other acquisition habits. The seeds are already a clear part of my work. Bit I still felt like it was time to consider what else I could do to step up.

 

So what does that mean for me?

 

Well, for starters, I need to take my head out of the sand and start looking around. I am doing that by reading more and watching documentaries, which are coming our way thick and fast now. There seems to be a growing movement in all areas of planet conservation and I have learned a lot over these last few months.

 

Then, probably more importantly, I have started talking about this much more. With everyone. And I noticed that there were a lot of others like me out there, who felt like they wanted to do something/do more, but didn’t know what or how. So here are my thoughts:

 

1. Acknowledge how you feel about the ecological crisis, bearing in mind that those feelings will likely be a flowing combination, rather than just the one all the time.

2. Find some resources in whatever format works well for you to help you understand the breadth of areas/industries/humanitarian impacts of climate change. Here are a few that I have found interesting:

3. Talk about it, even when it seems like an odd thing to do. Test the waters and sound out whether this is a topic for others around you too and if it is, consider exploring some areas more deeply with them. You are not the only one feeling stuck and unsure about how to proceed.

 

In the clutter of our everyday lives, it can be hard to find headspace to explore the big stuff like this. But from where I’m sitting, something needs to change, and I have learned that I can’t expect change if I’m not willing to invest in it myself as well.

 

So let’s consider the bigger picture and find ways to make the changes we need to embrace, for the sake of all our futures. I won’t be buying the superglue just yet, and I won’t become evangelical either, but I’ll talk about this much more and see where it takes me!

 

And if you’re a coach and want to get involved in a study group around ecological and climate-conscious coaching, let me know. That’s where I’m starting.