Tag: hopeful realism

No More Time to Kid Ourselves: The Climate Emergency is Now

August 27, 2021

Brian Tokar has written an excellent synopsis of the IPCC’s 6th Assessment Report (AR6) on the state of Earth’s climate. The latest findings of climate science clearly delineate the worsening conditions that are forcing us into today’s generally unacknowledged deep human predicament. The report just released is the first of three parts. The IPCC has … More No More Time to Kid Ourselves: The Climate Emergency is Now

Healing the Trauma: from Person to Planet and Back

January 18, 2021

Today, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the contradictions of American society and political culture lay exposed in the aftermath of the chaotic but organized seditious assault on the Capitol building in Washington, DC. On January 6, in the failed attempt to prevent the constitutionally mandated congressional counting an acceptance of the votes of the electoral … More Healing the Trauma: from Person to Planet and Back

We Live in Interesting Times: Seeking Opportunities in Crises

March 30, 2020

We—the world’s population, that is—seem to have fallen victim to what is claimed to be an old Chinese curse, “May you live in interesting times.” The curse, of course, implies that “interesting times” involve deep troubles, crises and dangers shall beset its victims. On the other hand, we may want to turn to the ancient … More We Live in Interesting Times: Seeking Opportunities in Crises

Two Emergencies, Part II: Climate & Coronavirus Collide

March 23, 2020

As the media report the continued explosive growth of new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and resulting deaths in some cases, the level of indifference and denial appears to be declining. Yet, governments remain sluggish in their response to the pandemic, with a small number of exceptions. The United States of America seems particularly vulnerable to … More Two Emergencies, Part II: Climate & Coronavirus Collide

Facing a Fantastic Future: Fantasyland, Apocalypse, or Hopeful Realism?

November 5, 2019

We usually think of something as fantastic if it is so wonderful and amazing that it seems like fantasy. I suspect that is where Walt Disney got the idea for his “Fantasy Land” and the other fantastical components of Disneyland, Disneyworld, and all those animated entertainments. Much of it suggests unbounded human futures through industrial … More Facing a Fantastic Future: Fantasyland, Apocalypse, or Hopeful Realism?

Being David Brooks in the Bowels of the Green New Deal

February 14, 2019

Many consider David Brooks the voice of conservative reason In America. After all, he has even published some almost sociological books on matters of character, family, and progress toward ‘the American dream.’ And, he presents himself as a soft-spoken empathic analyst on the Sunday talk shows and in his New York Times column. Brooks may … More Being David Brooks in the Bowels of the Green New Deal

So Much More than Warming: Misunderstanding Climate Change

July 16, 2018

The words we use to describe the world tend to “frame” our understandings by bracketing the range of images and meanings that make sense to us. Our reasoning builds on deep emotions. Moral reasoning also rests on an emotional sense of right and wrong and the beliefs and personal relationships we hold dear. The terms … More So Much More than Warming: Misunderstanding Climate Change

Economics of Happiness vs. Corporate Globalization

January 19, 2018

I just watched the condensed version of the award winning film, “The Economics of Happiness.” It is available on the Local Futures website. It confirms just about all the research findings on climate change, globalization, poverty, pollution, violence, and a host of other issues I have followed for the past decade while writing my forthcoming … More Economics of Happiness vs. Corporate Globalization