First of all, I'd like to say, that I have no really plan for my points. I say what's important to me and maybe my image of thought may become clearer while discussing, even to me ;-)
Quote:
In my view, you may be missing my main counter-argument and point.
I don't want to counter argument here. I share my thoughts and I'm listening and reading the others thoughts. And if one has no hope, that's absolutely ok for me. There's no one view. There's a view of of each one participating. And each view is right and each view is evolving further in every moment.
Why focus on technical issues?
The technical issue is the first barrier of individual and group resistance. Some years ago, when the renewable resources act was underway, lots of people said: This is not possible to reach solar/wind/... energy share of the hole more than x %. Now lots of years later a multiple of that goal had been reached and when talking about the transition to 100% renewable energy the same issue is being brought up again. The fact that people believe in the technical change are encouraging other people, these start doing it.
Get to the core before fixing on the surface?
The damage, the atrocities and suffering done by humans to other humans, animal and the planet as a whole is beyond compare. A lot of humans are that way. The society is that way too. Everyone who is willing to see will be or had been shocked by those numerous facts already. And yes, healing is desperately needed. As you told people want to present a version of their selves that is appreciated by their environment. May it be through money, economical success, beauty, possesions, abilities and all other things one may imagine. And lots of people running away of the inner pain by the same or other addictions. I assume the reasons are many and the connections are complex. I do not think it's because man is evil. I think more like man is often in frustrated and desperate lack of basic needs, like love, appreciation, safety and so on and that the world, we live in does not meet that needs. Many may not even really know what it is they need or trying to achieve things, they were educated to do but which rather are doing harm to them. But as I said. It's probably not that easy. And I myself tasted some of this healing, my soul has desperately cried for, that's why I believe even that healing can be done.
Yes, healing has to take place, but now is not the time. Now we have ~10 years left and if we had not act enough when that time is over, we maybe well on the way to be healed, but in some decades later we are dead.
So how to do it?
So, if in my opinion healing right now is not recommended, one may ask, how to get self-centered people to work together? The answer may the realization of the global catastophe. The realization of death, if we do not do, what has to be done. Of course this is not easy, because lots of people just running away from it. It's too scary. As long as the day to day life is ok, so one can run away, people are tending to do so. But the time to realize what's happening will come for everyone. The question is: Will it be too late, when that happens for enought people necessary?
When thinking about it, I am reminded at the 5 stages of grief from Elisabeth Kübler-Ross(book: "on death an dying"), that are appearing when a person is faced with the truth of it's own nearing death:
- denial
- anger
- bargaining
- depression
- acceptance
If you'd really accepted the truth, that you are going to die and maybe all other people with you, then you may - and even only temporary for the phase of crisis - step out of your live you had lived so far. The ultimate insight comes that if they do not change radically and at instant all will be lost. It's maybe like a woman who is pregnant realizing that if she keeps on smoking, her child will for very high probability be suffering from some kind of disease in its life. So many stop smoking then even if they had tried it many times before and always failed.
Thinking that way, the task is to support and speed up the walk on the path to this insight.
More and more people are actually really realizing what's at stake.
Update - About Manipulation
I just watched a video, where Hans Joachim Schellnhuber was talking(5/2019). He's the founder and director of the german institute of studies climate effects in potsdam. One of the veteran climate warriors and scientists if not the one scientist who is in the climate discourse for ages now. In his experience there was a point when (fossil fuel industries) had decided to agitate against climate change in order to avoid financial consequences to their businesses. They had a plan of different stages, layed out like this
- Deny existence of a phenomena like "climate change"
- If undeniable, deny human responsibility for the phenomena
- If undeniable, trivilize and play down the consequences
- if unsuccessful, state that it's too late, to do anything.(This stage we are in now, according to Schellnhuber)
Part of that strategy was it to discredit scientists. He also mentioned the "Serengeti -Tactics" was a method used. Separate scientists who are a bit apart from the core of the scientific society, people that where maybe a bit unusual of some kind. Attack especially their works to sow distrust to the topic in whole.
