I don't want to be depressing, here, but - how do you cope with it?

[ellenrr]

18. coping...

I share your feeling. Sometimes it seems unbearable. I don't believe "there is nothing we can do". We are always doing something. Just by being humans on the planet, we are part of the problem. I'm not saying - so let's all kill ourselves. But it's a fact. As someone said, "Activism is the rent for being on the planet."

To cope with feelings of despair, are you familair with the work of Johanna Macy? She does despair work. I have never done it with her, but would like to.

There is a movie called Call of Life about mass extinctions, which I haven't seen yet, but have talked to someone who has seen it many times. And it is not just about let's see how awful we can feel, but about how to deal with our feelings.

I think the first thing we have to do is speak about feelings of hopelessness, despair, etc.
And it is not easy. Most people do not want to be "brought down". Yet, in terms of climate change we are clearly on the way to catastrophe, and so the idea of being in denial does not seem to me to be a useful reaction.
Those of us who have these feelings are in fact the counter to denial. And not easy. I certainly don't always speak out.

Thanks for posting this. It comforts me that I am not the only one.