this post was submitted on 20 Jul 2023
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I appreciate the pep talk. I'm an engineer in water resources and do my best to help where I can. Sometimes I have outbursts on the Internet and sometimes I fall into frighteningly deep depression. I removed my ability to have children in my terror of bringing life into a the world so dark. So it's not one or the other -be angry and do nothing or have hope and work towards a better future. I'm very angry and very frightened and very jaded... And I'm doing what I can to hopefully prove myself wrong. I would very much like to be wrong. I don't have much hope most days and do believe the planet would be much better off of humans were at least much reduced in number. But I have loved ones and empathy for strangers, as well as a sense of self preservation so I don't relish the thought of suffering. Things can be more than one thing at the same time. I'm not sure how to develop hope, and I'm not sure how people like yourself still carry any, but I have the kind of steadfast resolve to help my fellow humans reduce their suffering at the end. There's a great deal of good that humans can do as well, art, music, stories, love. Those are the threads that keep me bobbing close to the surface. But yeah, I avoid the news almost entirely except for a few trusted sources and what I can't help but run across on Lemmy, etc. I'm too sensitive clearly
I'm glad you're doing something, despite the pain you're in. I simply want bring your attention to the fact that the doom and gloom attitude is harmful for the fight. In fact, many consider the onslaught of apocalyptic headlines and the new industry of climate fear to be a new tactic to get people to do nothing. Michael E. Mann, famous climatologist, has talked about this problem as well.
I understand the intention behind when people say that "the doom and glom attitude is harmful to the fight". I've heard it many times. But it's kind of like telling a depressed person to just be happy. It's like, oh wow never considered that k thanks I'm cured now /s. It's just like hey fuck you for being depressed you're killing the planet - it doesn't do a while lot to help. I think you're right of course. I still don't know how to stop being overwhelmed and depressed by it all.