The Waking Up Syndrome

I've been reading a lot lately about the disastrous scenarios the experts are predicting if humans don't make rapid and radical changes in how we do things on this fragile planet. The scientific evidence is very alarming and the expert consensus is that if we don't change NOW, humanity is in deep trouble.

I believe the warnings are accurate. But are we humans really going to make the changes we need to make in the time frames the scientists are recommending?

I'd say the chances are 50/50 at best.

Environmentalists are now finally realizing that this is actually a problem of human psychology and human behavior, not just climate science, technology or resource scarcity. As a species, we don't seem to be very good at understanding enormous, complex challenges like the ones we're presently facing, let alone processing our emotional responses to these threats and moving into action.

The core problem is that humans are HIGHLY resistant to cultural and behavioral change!

Dr. Sarah Anne Edwards and I have written an essay called "The Waking Up Syndrome" in which we explore the stages people go through as they wake up to the reality of the rapidly-worsening environmental situation, as described by the majority of credible scientists. Our goal is to help people emerge from denial and face reality but not get stuck in despair or disempowerment as they move forward into constructive action.

Since all of our constructive actions may or may not avert the predicted catastrophes, some people in addition to doing what they can to solve problems are also preparing for the transition to a different way of life.

The irony is that this may turn out to be not only the smart and prudent thing to do ("expect the best, prepare for the worst"), but also bring more happiness into our lives. A simpler, more local and neighbor-connected lifestyle may turn out to be far more satisfying than the rushed and stressed rat-race so many of us endure today.

You can read our "Waking Up Syndrome" essay in Sierra Club Books' new anthology Ecotherapy: Healing with Nature in Mind or an earlier version in HopeDance magazine.

One important thing to remember is that both psychologically and practically, humans cannot cope with this degree of change alone. Few of our problems can be solved by one or two individuals, but whole communities can come together to care for one another in challenging times.

The Transition movement is particularly helpful in bringing towns and neighborhoods together in a positive way to prepare for the shift to a different way of living. Check out www.transitionculture.org or www.transitionus.org to see if there's a Transition Town group in your area. Or start one with a few neighbors.

The "Awakening the Dreamer" symposium is another initiative helping people make the necessary intellectual, spiritual and practical changes.

The Center for the New American Dream helps people transition to a simpler, more sustainable lifestyle.

Other positive responses can be seen in the growing international permaculture movement the local food trend, the growth in home and community gardening, new support for sustainable local businesses and the Neighborhood Exchanges popping up in many places.

I'd love to hear how you and your community are preparing for a different future.

Comments

[OldBean]

With so many people denying that there's a problem, it's an uphill battle. Our species hates change, and that along with ignorance doesn't make for speedy rapid change.

Fortunately, our species is really good at dealing with disaster, or near disaster, and when humans are hit in the pocketbook, they can change. People are already dying because of our environments, and when enough get sick and die, change will come quickly. The question is, how many millions will have to be sick, be born with all kinds of syndromes, or die before the rest realise that it's wakey-bye time?

[ForTheFuture]

A fascinating piece. For those who are knowledgeable and aware, living consciously requires one to find alternatives to denial and despair. The resources you mention will be helpful to many.

One resource I don't see mentioned is the community of faith (and faith itself). That's not surprising--there are only a handful of religious organizations that are grappling with environmental collapse, not much has been written about the subject, and there is practically no dialog about or awareness of the moral implications of environmental collapse. This seems extraordinarily strange to me. Faith has to do with good and bad, right and wrong. To destroy the world must be wrong, if anything people do is wrong. It seems to me that the great spiritual question of our time has to do with what we're doing to the world and the future. This is the spiritual frontier, the ragged edge of meaning and being. I'm sure that "waking up" must include placing the human enterprise and the human effects on the world within a context that goes beyond our individual perceptions. We didn't make the world that has sustained us, and which we are now destroying. We have a responsibility to something beyond ourselves, to whatever created or manifested our being and all that is. "Waking up" will require us to face that responsibility.

Richard Bruce Anderson
For the Future

[guinganbresil]

Here is a fascinating article on Groupthink.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groupthink

It would be a good exercise to examine three groups for Groupthink:

1 - Those either who don't care or on the fence ("Noncombatants"?)

2 - The climate change proponents a.k.a "Alarmists" (include IPCC)

3 - The climate change skeptics a.k.a. "Deniers" (include Heartland)

Here are some symptoms:

1. Illusions of invulnerability creating excessive optimism and encouraging risk taking.
2. Rationalising warnings that might challenge the group's assumptions.
3. Unquestioned belief in the morality of the group, causing members to ignore the consequences of their actions.
4. Stereotyping those who are opposed to the group as weak, evil, biased, spiteful, disfigured, impotent, or stupid.
5. Direct pressure to conform placed on any member who questions the group, couched in terms of "disloyalty".
6. Self censorship of ideas that deviate from the apparent group consensus.
7. Illusions of unanimity among group members, silence is viewed as agreement.
8. Mindguards — self-appointed members who shield the group from dissenting information.

[JShep]

You state that " the scientific evidence is alarming".....and just what "evidence" are you referencing. Global warming "predictions" are just that, predictions...and they are based on models that cannot duplicate past climate changes. There is no scientific proof of man-made global warming, only theories. If the population is to be awakened, there should be more open, honest debate on the "science" of man-made global warming. Both sides should be allowed to make their case to the public. There is too much name calling and not enough discussion of the facts both pro and con.

[JanBjernfalk]

You are obviously a shill for Big Oil. :) :)

[ColoradoJake]

Great googly moogly. Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado has plenty of EVIDENCE. Pine beetles are killing the trees by the millions because our winters are not cold enough anymore to kill the beetles. We've had infestations in Colorado before but all at lower elevations; for the first time trees are being eaten alive all the way up to the tree line at 12,000 feet. Temperatures of at least 30 degrees below zero (Fahrenheit) must be sustained for a minimum of five days to kill the larvae and we haven't had that since the late 1990's; it used to happen every year. In a few years the Alpine mountain forests of Colorado will be gone. Just like the glaciers at Glacier National Park in Montana. Just like the coral of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. But who cares? We don't really need coral or glaciers... or trees. We should just go on and on burning coal and oil because maintaining the profits of the current system should be what's most important to all of us. Money is what we really want. Money.

[doctorkosan]

The pine beetle has made it all the way to the interior of British Columbia. I don't think they are aspiring to be the first insects to make it to the North Pole but they are making good progress.

[dctackett]

you obviously won't be aware of the evidence if you hide from it... it's out there, do a bit of research.

[Linda Buzzell - Huffpost Blogger]

It's really fascinating to me that every time someone writes or talks publicly about the current consensus of scientific opinion urging rapid action on the environment, the intellectual equivalent of the Obama birthers emerge from their dark holes to claim global climate change is fiction or hasn't been proven -- in spite of decades of definitive research and the evidence of our own eyes.

Who pays these folks to make their false claims all over the internet? Or do they really believe what the fossil-fueled foundations and right wing falsifiers are telling them?

Last year I was quoted in the press on the topic of eco-anxiety -- the deep psychological and moral concern that many people around the world are beginning to experience about the future prospects of homo sapiens sapiens. Immediately I was trashed by Rush Limbaugh and Fox news -- again, on the subject of the "lie" of global climate change, not the deeper issues.

It's frustrating not to be able to communicate about these important topics without interruption from the flat earth crowd.

I suggest that we refrain from encouraging these folks by responding to their posts. It only feeds the lie that there are really two equal bodies of evidence pro and against the reality of global climate change and that the truth has not yet been established. In other words, we're just encouraging further distraction, delusion and denial.

[JShep]

Responding to the comment by attacking the commenter seems to be the typical response when there is no reasonable rebuttal to the comment. No one is denying that there could be global warming, the question is, what portion of it, if any, is caused by the actions of man. My question still stands...please inform me of the alarming scientific evidence of "man-made" global warming. Obviously you must be referring to some sort of substantial proof. At one time, there was a consensus that the earth was flat. That didn't make it true just because it was a consensus of believers.

[DougDeWitt]

Well, let's suppose the power generation industry could reduce CO2 from our environment for a profit http://whigsntories.blogspot.com/2009/08/burning-co-two-with-light-making-sugar.html

Then, suppose the power generation industry could make a profit http://dyn.politico.com/snetwork/profile/profile_blog_view.cfm?id=5A343D82CE21FD7EE350F36F6FEBC012

These folks aren't in denial, not really. They're not really delusional, either; they know the environment is seriously threatened. Maybe they're so old they don't really care what the next generation must accept as the world they have inherited.

Rocket Science, Hydrogen and Oxygen Combustion, Cutting Edge Steam Turbine Technology, Fossil Fuel Independent Co-Generation Technology!

Peace out!

[beans77]

Fighting climate change and environmental degradation can be daunting for any individual. Maybe small, "baby-steps" are easier for people to adopt over time. Things like using reusable grocery bags and being aware of eco-friendly packaging, using energy efficient lightbulbs in the home and at work, walking and biking more, and choosing local, organic foods are all small, but important things people can easily do. Local (municipal) governments should also encourage farmers markets, more bike lanes and public (alternative energy) transport, and more eco-friendly public building and landscaping materials. Every effort helps, no matter how small.

[Linda Buzzell - Huffpost Blogger]

I agree, beans77, that small behavioral changes that are modeled by people we respect and rewarded with support from our neighbors and peers, are critically important.

This is why we need community groups, so we can help each other with ideas, tips, encouragement, praise and helpful information. We also need to support those of us who are willing to run for local office. Many important changes can happen at the local, municipal level, but only if we help our green neighbors become our mayors and local city council.

What we've discovered in our town is that things like Neighborhood Exchanges (where we share food we've grown plus stuff we don't need), community gardens, simplicity circles, permaculture classes, reskilling workshops (to re-learn all those old-timey practical things) and transition initiatives are really FUN as well as life-changing, and this enjoyment factor gives us the incentive to keep doing even more green things...

[Linda Buzzell - Huffpost Blogger]

Thanks, hopedance, for the link to Transition California and wiserearth. These positive solutions are really catching on...

[hopedance]

hello, thanks Linda for summarizing the Transition position and all the various groups that are involved in ACTION and deepening the conversation since we just dont want activists per se. We want visionaries and solutionaries and bioneers who genuinely KNOW and can act from that knowledge.

Comment: to learn about the various Transition and transition-related groups in CA, please visit www.transitioncalifornia.ning.com to learn about all the inspiring activities that people are creating throughout the entire state and get involved. Also, go to www.wiserearth.org and search for Transition.

bob banner
for hopedance.org