I think some of us also reach a level of exhaustion with communication in this space. So much of what is written and consumed nowadays consists of rehashed, rebranded, shallow takes on snippets of science or news, all amid a crush of fast and superficial information streaming at us.
Anything genuinely new is forced into that crush, ensuring it never receives any depth of analysis. Its coverage is limited to an endless loop of sound bites. Consider the recent news cycle and what's happened with the Jasper wildfire, a tragedy already sliding from view. Or the Rio Grande do Sul floods. Or the cyclone in Bangladesh and West Bengal. These big, life-threatening and life-changing climate collapse events have been relegated to the superficial information crush. Most are already forgotten.
As communicators in this space, we fall victim to the crush cycle as well. We draw our content from other content, and so we graze over the surface of the unfolding tragedy.
I tried for a while to break the cycle. I had a big, life-threatening and life-changing climate collapse experience. I was a first-hand witness to something huge and terrifying. I wrote a book about it while trying to crawl out of the abyss the event created in my world. Trying to do both at once was maybe foolish, but I am a writer, and that’s what writers do, right? We write to unpack things; to reveal depths and pools. We write in the hope that someone will read, and that over time an informed, nuanced discussion will unfold. That may have been the writer-reader contract years ago. No more. The book came out, and I was flooded with requests for snippets and slogans. No depth. No informed, nuanced discussion. And my big, terrible experience became just another temporary example sliding from relevance.
I think what I am trying to say is communication and perception have changed, and despite having incredible connectivity to each other and information about the world, too few people think deeply anymore. The ship is sinking, but most people have lost the skill to even perceive the fatal tilt as the bow slides below the waterline.
There is so much in your comment to address. Like all things in climate change, it feels overwhelming. I feel the crush of the cycles you speak of in this space. Often I feel paralyzed by the sense I can't adequately convey what needs to be known. I'm having that kind of week now, struggling with an article. I need to make every word count.
Is it adequate to write an article about 5,000 acres burned and the devastation that caused to real people, when last year, 500,000 burned, or 50 million? Do people become so callous to not recognize the tragedy, and say, "Well, 5,000 acres always burned, big deal." I find myself making these judgements, if a news item is sufficiently horrible enough to leave an impression on people.
Your experience with your book is disheartening. The world has been reduced to an ever faster consumption cycle. I'll never attempt a book, it will be out of date the moment I start.
I agree with you the world has changed and for many some essential skills and abilities for reasoning have been lost. Disinformation is rampant, and the shallowest, most soulless have outsized voices in this world. Some of us fight back, and it's always a handful on the right side or wrong side who determine change. That's why you or I, and who we connect with, can be powerful. If not me or you, perhaps someone else. Maybe Biden bowing out, and Harris ascending, is a sign of rising fascism being given a fight. The bigger problem is the speed of collapse, accelerating every day. The people in power have failed to give voice to it, so you and I must keep shouting. This kind of conversation helps me keep going. Thank you.
Absolute agreement. Exactly how I feel. Fighting for what's right and calling out what's wrong is what has gotten me out of bed in the morning for the last three years.
The emotional toll of constantly guarding what we say so that we aren't seen as "doomers" to most people can also be exhausting. I've found so much solace in Jessica Wildfire's writing, as well as a few others here on Substack (2 of whom already commented on this piece).
Yes, I discovered Jessica a couple of years ago. She's a powerful writer and I admire her work. We "doomers" are the ones who give a chance of hope, because we're willing to deal with reality. If we can't deal with reality, there is no chance to solve our problems. And it's comforting to connect with others who see this. Not feeling alone makes a huge difference.
As you might guess from my writing (The Crisis Report) I have dealt with this issue most of my adult life. I used to get ANGRY about people's blindness and unwillingness to SEE the reality of the situation.
Being "informed" or "aware" is a CHOICE about how to use your most precious resource. Your TIME.
Not everyone wants to use their time this way. People like us are OUTLIERS. Our numbers are FEW.
That's FRUSTRATING.
Because it seems obvious that THIS is the MOST IMPORTANT issue of our lives and no one cares. You want to scream at people "pay attention".
"But my words like silent raindrops fell/and echoed the sound of silence".
Our TIME has "not come round at last". We are still "slouching towards Bethlehem". Because our moment is COMING SOON.
Beautifully put.
I think some of us also reach a level of exhaustion with communication in this space. So much of what is written and consumed nowadays consists of rehashed, rebranded, shallow takes on snippets of science or news, all amid a crush of fast and superficial information streaming at us.
Anything genuinely new is forced into that crush, ensuring it never receives any depth of analysis. Its coverage is limited to an endless loop of sound bites. Consider the recent news cycle and what's happened with the Jasper wildfire, a tragedy already sliding from view. Or the Rio Grande do Sul floods. Or the cyclone in Bangladesh and West Bengal. These big, life-threatening and life-changing climate collapse events have been relegated to the superficial information crush. Most are already forgotten.
As communicators in this space, we fall victim to the crush cycle as well. We draw our content from other content, and so we graze over the surface of the unfolding tragedy.
I tried for a while to break the cycle. I had a big, life-threatening and life-changing climate collapse experience. I was a first-hand witness to something huge and terrifying. I wrote a book about it while trying to crawl out of the abyss the event created in my world. Trying to do both at once was maybe foolish, but I am a writer, and that’s what writers do, right? We write to unpack things; to reveal depths and pools. We write in the hope that someone will read, and that over time an informed, nuanced discussion will unfold. That may have been the writer-reader contract years ago. No more. The book came out, and I was flooded with requests for snippets and slogans. No depth. No informed, nuanced discussion. And my big, terrible experience became just another temporary example sliding from relevance.
I think what I am trying to say is communication and perception have changed, and despite having incredible connectivity to each other and information about the world, too few people think deeply anymore. The ship is sinking, but most people have lost the skill to even perceive the fatal tilt as the bow slides below the waterline.
There is so much in your comment to address. Like all things in climate change, it feels overwhelming. I feel the crush of the cycles you speak of in this space. Often I feel paralyzed by the sense I can't adequately convey what needs to be known. I'm having that kind of week now, struggling with an article. I need to make every word count.
Is it adequate to write an article about 5,000 acres burned and the devastation that caused to real people, when last year, 500,000 burned, or 50 million? Do people become so callous to not recognize the tragedy, and say, "Well, 5,000 acres always burned, big deal." I find myself making these judgements, if a news item is sufficiently horrible enough to leave an impression on people.
Your experience with your book is disheartening. The world has been reduced to an ever faster consumption cycle. I'll never attempt a book, it will be out of date the moment I start.
I agree with you the world has changed and for many some essential skills and abilities for reasoning have been lost. Disinformation is rampant, and the shallowest, most soulless have outsized voices in this world. Some of us fight back, and it's always a handful on the right side or wrong side who determine change. That's why you or I, and who we connect with, can be powerful. If not me or you, perhaps someone else. Maybe Biden bowing out, and Harris ascending, is a sign of rising fascism being given a fight. The bigger problem is the speed of collapse, accelerating every day. The people in power have failed to give voice to it, so you and I must keep shouting. This kind of conversation helps me keep going. Thank you.
And fight back we must. Even if we loose, our souls will rest easier that we tried.
I have the same mindset. We have to try. Life in this universe is so rare and precious. We must not squander this gift.
Absolute agreement. Exactly how I feel. Fighting for what's right and calling out what's wrong is what has gotten me out of bed in the morning for the last three years.
Being collapse aware and focusing on it is an incredibly isolating task. All other "normal" conversation becomes work. I appreciate your writing.
Thanks so much
I've been writing on collapse for three years now, totally get it. Here's a recent piece that seemed to resonate with people. Once our eyes are open, there's no going back. https://geoffreydeihl.substack.com/p/the-normalization-of-madness
The emotional toll of constantly guarding what we say so that we aren't seen as "doomers" to most people can also be exhausting. I've found so much solace in Jessica Wildfire's writing, as well as a few others here on Substack (2 of whom already commented on this piece).
Find Jessica's writing here: https://www.okdoomer.io/
Yes, I discovered Jessica a couple of years ago. She's a powerful writer and I admire her work. We "doomers" are the ones who give a chance of hope, because we're willing to deal with reality. If we can't deal with reality, there is no chance to solve our problems. And it's comforting to connect with others who see this. Not feeling alone makes a huge difference.
Thank you Geoffrey, your words have been a salve many times!! 💚🌎💙
That means a lot to me, thank you.
I believe there's a host of psychological reasons. One of them might be the denial of death - I need to move that book higher up on my TBR pile.
Hmmm....
As you might guess from my writing (The Crisis Report) I have dealt with this issue most of my adult life. I used to get ANGRY about people's blindness and unwillingness to SEE the reality of the situation.
Being "informed" or "aware" is a CHOICE about how to use your most precious resource. Your TIME.
Not everyone wants to use their time this way. People like us are OUTLIERS. Our numbers are FEW.
That's FRUSTRATING.
Because it seems obvious that THIS is the MOST IMPORTANT issue of our lives and no one cares. You want to scream at people "pay attention".
"But my words like silent raindrops fell/and echoed the sound of silence".
Our TIME has "not come round at last". We are still "slouching towards Bethlehem". Because our moment is COMING SOON.