Everett E. Mann scanned the morning news – flooding on the southern and eastern coasts, drought in the Southwest, forest fires in California, global resource depletion, loss of biodiversity and on and on. Three friends – Jess, Dee and Hope Ann - happened to see the same report, and they all felt compelled to give Everett a call.
“Hey Ev,” Jess D’Sameway greeted. “Did you see the latest news about these so-called ‘severe weather’ events? Those news guys sure like to squawk about this stuff. But haven’t there been floods, droughts and fires on this planet since before humans ever set foot? ‘Experts’ have been warning about running out of clean water, top soil, and resources for centuries. I say, if we’d all just look out for ourselves and our families, we’ll be just fine. It’s business-as-usual for me.”
Then Dee Pressed called. “OMG, did you see that newscast? The last segment about rising sea levels just about put me over the edge. All those folks getting flooded out and eco-systems being destroyed! We’re never going to get out of this mess. Guess I’ll just sort of crawl into a hole and cry. It makes me so sad; I’m ready to give up.”
And finally, “I suppose you watched the news this morning,” said Hope Ann Doo. “What a boatload of troubles! With almost 8 billion people - twice that of just 50 years ago - human demands on Earth’s resources are so much greater than ever before. I just hope somebody can figure out how to straighten out this mess,” she sighed.
“I hope so too,” said Ev. “but just hoping things will improve or pretending we can actually continue with business-as-usual isn’t going to make things better. And giving up just feels yucky. We’ve got to both hope AND do our part. Hey, that’s you – Hope Ann Doo!
“Joanna Macy calls it Active Hope. It’s how we can ‘face the mess we’re in without going crazy’. She says having gratitude for the blessings we have and acknowledging our fears reduces our sense of being overwhelmed and moves us to action. Taking positive steps makes us feel better. It also helps pivot society toward a healthier, more life-enriching world for everyone. It’s just what we need right now on the only home we’ll ever know because we’re all forever… Earthbound.”
“Hey Ev,” Jess D’Sameway greeted. “Did you see the latest news about these so-called ‘severe weather’ events? Those news guys sure like to squawk about this stuff. But haven’t there been floods, droughts and fires on this planet since before humans ever set foot? ‘Experts’ have been warning about running out of clean water, top soil, and resources for centuries. I say, if we’d all just look out for ourselves and our families, we’ll be just fine. It’s business-as-usual for me.”
Then Dee Pressed called. “OMG, did you see that newscast? The last segment about rising sea levels just about put me over the edge. All those folks getting flooded out and eco-systems being destroyed! We’re never going to get out of this mess. Guess I’ll just sort of crawl into a hole and cry. It makes me so sad; I’m ready to give up.”
And finally, “I suppose you watched the news this morning,” said Hope Ann Doo. “What a boatload of troubles! With almost 8 billion people - twice that of just 50 years ago - human demands on Earth’s resources are so much greater than ever before. I just hope somebody can figure out how to straighten out this mess,” she sighed.
“I hope so too,” said Ev. “but just hoping things will improve or pretending we can actually continue with business-as-usual isn’t going to make things better. And giving up just feels yucky. We’ve got to both hope AND do our part. Hey, that’s you – Hope Ann Doo!
“Joanna Macy calls it Active Hope. It’s how we can ‘face the mess we’re in without going crazy’. She says having gratitude for the blessings we have and acknowledging our fears reduces our sense of being overwhelmed and moves us to action. Taking positive steps makes us feel better. It also helps pivot society toward a healthier, more life-enriching world for everyone. It’s just what we need right now on the only home we’ll ever know because we’re all forever… Earthbound.”
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