pinch me

I've got an article with an imminent deadline that's been frozen for awhile in a case of writer’s block. A few days ago however, I was asked a question, the answer to which has put a crack in the block.

“Why do you care so much about climate change and energy consumption?” Aran asked me during one of our many chats about the topics my job covers. We both agreed that I am not driven by what could be called “personal” reasons, since we have no progeny to consider, the typical “think of your grandchildren” motivation does not apply.

“I don’t know,” I responded. “For the longest time, it has just felt wrong to me, the way we treat the planet and waste things. How can we trash other living things, resources and all, without a backward glance?”

Now I am not a saint and do not compare myself in any way to selfless activists, but for the past 20 years I have had an above-average concern for the environment and the world as a whole. Which, frankly, isn’t saying much, since ‘average’ is quite terrible if you ask me. But alas, I digress.

As you can see, I have been prone to dark thoughts. People just don’t seem to care and I’ve never been much of an optimist. But these days, it seems there are more people walking the talk and setting examples that I am increasingly eager to follow. What’s more is that, with scientific facts piling up and peak oil experts lining up, the magnitude of just how far wrong we’ve gone seems destined to start weighing on formerly oblivious minds worldwide.

And my job is to help kick-start that dawning, so back to my writer’s block... Since I watched a video several months ago featuring the dynamic person at the heart of a very interesting movement, I've been planning to write an article.

While reading up on the topic, I felt true hope for the first time. This just felt so right. But how, I began to ask myself, do I successfully convey the concept in an interesting, non-threatening manner and also transmit the hope in a genuine and contagious way? It is so easy for people to label something wacky or extreme so that they can stick what it implies into the dark spot at the back of their brain and deny it.

In essence, what was striking me dumb with “the block” was a sense of huge potential and my own personal hope for it. Not only, I realized, does it simply feel right, but further (and striking a loud chord in my own character make-up) it is just so logical.

Tune into Our World 2.0 next week for the rest of the story. Assuming I've vanquished the block...