Want to imagine Our Better Future with me, the one we'd choose after the apocolapse?

of 9 hours sleep, hobbies and being nice? Plus Dr Katharine Wilkinson are going to get real...chime in

I’m acutely aware just now that many of us are feeling that the old ways of doing life are not much chop and that we might just have to do things very radically differently going forward. And that we might just have to start doing the different way ourselves. Living it now, not waiting for the Powers That Be to catch up.

Regular reader here Kai Ikeda made the point in the comments this week:

I've been thinking about the tech bros and the power and control they seem to have on the trajectory of our lives now and into the future. It seems we keep getting drawn into their game and to play by their rules. Is it possible for us to create our own game and not partake in their nonsense? The image of tug of war comes to mind- instead of pulling against their tugging, can we let go, walk away and start a different game? One in which we strengthen our abilities to relate with one another and build a network that allows us to trust one another?

Kai, as always, lovely, caring input. Thank you!

I was prompted to look out for some ideas that point to what Kai suggests. Previously I’ve talked through a few structural ideas about places, including Universal Basic Income (UBI) with Rutger Bregman:

And degrowth economics with Jason Hickel:

And creating utopias with Margaret Atwood:

All of which chuck cats among pigeons. But I reckon its worth exploring some psychological mindsets…

Mostly because with psychological mindsets, we can go straight to them, do not pass Go!

I’ve started with three. They are random and eclectic. Please add any that come to mind, as something of an exercise in creative hope.

1. What if we returned to “craft work”?

The incredibly savvy Elle Griffin who writes The Elysian did a post some time back that noted how our hobbies used to be jobs and how the brutal effects of 200 years of capitalism might see us go full circle and turn them into jobs again.

She cites William Morris’ 1890 utopian novel News from Nowhere, in which he predicts that by the year 2000, humanity will have eliminated all industrial work and replaced it with handcraft. 

“A craving for beauty seemed to awaken in men’s minds, and they began rudely and awkwardly to ornament the wares which they made; and when they had once set to work at that, it soon began to grow,” he explains. “Thus at last and by slow degrees we got pleasure into our work; then we became conscious of that pleasure, and cultivated it, and took care that we had our fill of it; and then all was gained, and were happy.”

Elle explains that Morris, writing as industrialisation and capitalism first began to take its toll¹, figured we would spend a couple hundred years making money and becoming economically prosperous, in order to return to being gardeners and crafters. It’s a logic that gels - endure a bit of soot and inequality to grow the economy to a certain point, then back off and live beautifully.

And it would seem some are choosing to get this memo, albeit with a survivalist mindset. The Free Press just reported on the rise of “homesteading” in the US, folk choosing to go back to basics and live off the land. Vox just wrote about the dramatic rise in canning. Most things that stick it up to industrialisation are things that we truly get a kick out of doing. Let’s reflect on that!

2. Glorifying *not* being busy.

The writer Emma Gannon interviews a bunch of contrarian thinkers in her new book The Success Myth. I caught a meme she shared on Instagram a few weeks back - a quote from a British author who is interviewed in the book - and it struck chords:

“I pride myself on not being very busy, getting nine hours of sleep a night…”

Yes, we could, right now, stop the madness of busyness. And cut straight to what matters, like perfecting the art of good sleep. I often say that if I had a solid 7-8 hours sleep each night I’m certain everything else in my life would just hum and sing (on nine, I’d be operatic!). So why not make this linchpin my singular project? And skip the busyness (which, of course, is a Cath-22 impediment to sleep)?

I’m reminded of the Greek fisherman parable that points out the insanity of busy…and missing the point of life. Want me to relay it here? OK, then. This is my take on it²:

The Greek fisherman parable, paraphrased:

A simple Greek fisherman finishes his day at the taverna. As he does every day, he shares his catch with the owner of the taverna and they spend the evening relaxing, eating fish and drinking Tsipouro together. A German tourist (it’s always a German in these Greek joke-stories) asks one day, “Why only catch one or two fish on a single line when you could catch more… and with the money you earn you can buy a boat?”

The Greek, thinks for a bit and asks the German, “But why would I do that?” Ah, says the German, then you can catch a whole heap more fish and with that money you can buy more boats and employ some staff.” Again, the fisherman ask, “But why?” It goes on. A fleet of boats, more fish, staff who manage operations. Busy. Busy. “But why would I do all that?” the Greek keeps asking.

The German finally answers triumphantly, “Because then you’ll be successful and have all the money so that you can finally relax and drink Tsipouro, here, with your friend.”

Boom!

Most of us are some way into the trap. We are working extra hours to buy the boat that will then require working even more hours to pay the staff to service the boat (and so on). But we can all decide to draw the line here, at where we exist right now, and go straight to the end goal, skipping the busyness and accoutrements. We can just go straight to what matters, to what we say we are doing all the busyness for.

Perhaps it’s getting 9 hours sleep?

Or perfecting deep rest?

Or returning to crafts?

Or practicing love?

Or…?

3. Doing climate collapse differently

This is an idea that I’m currently exploring. I’d reached out to Dr Katharine Wilkinson, co-author of All We Can Save and one of Time magazine’s “15 Women Who Will Save the World”, and we were set to record a Wild interview. But yesterday I asked to postpone it so I can gather some further thoughts. I was initially prompted to speak to Katharine after hearing her explain how we need to stop the “climate fight”. She argues that the fight mentality is what got us into trouble in the first place. She points out that the main characteristic shared by the most inspiring females leaders in the climate space were that they they prioritize making change over being in charge. She says:

“We need to get over ego, competition, and control—all that patriarchal, supremacist, hierarchical stuff that gets in the way, burns a lot of energy, and keeps us from collaborating.”

Anyway…as I say, I’m trying to work out how to explore this idea of bypassing the fight and going straight to how we want to be. I put this to Katharine and we decided we would do something different and debate some themes together.

To this end, what might you like us to cover/answer/opine on regarding climate collapse and where we exist in it today? We would like to be pushed, particularly around whether we still have hope, so feel free to feel into the ickiest, most confronting question you have and post it below. We are going to try be in the same city soon.

OK. I’m off for an adventure on Friday…heading to the Alps. I’ll be reporting from the “road” on Fridays with posts for the paid community. I’m finally moving into the writing of this damn next book. There have been distractions…Anyway, if you want to join me and Kai and other big minded folk in this space, hit up the button below.

A bientôt!

Sarah xx

1. The most fascinating time in history for me. The art, politics and literature that emerged in this time are dynamically instructive.

2. There are many versions of this tale, all of them more protracted than this one (when a Greek tells it).