Discussion How do you process the broken state of the world?

[RainyAfternoon]

Most of us are well aware of the many problems our world has. Some are common knowledge, such as pollution, ecological destruction, and poverty.
Others are often swept under the rug, such as human trafficking and the inhumane conditions that support many industries.

My questions for you are:
What issues are most important to you?
Do you think it's possible to fix them?
How do you process the reality of it all? Do you push it out of mind, or do you try to live in a way that mitigates the problem?
Do you think it's worth ruminating over these things, or is it a waste of time? How does it affect your mental health?

For myself:
The issues most important to me are related to unsustainable use of resources and the destructive relationship humans have with the natural world.
In particular, the reliance we have on plastics which are contaminating pretty much everything. I worked in the plastics industry at one point and experienced firsthand the insane amount of lobbying, propaganda, and misinformation these companies spread to make people support the use of plastic in many products.
Our attitude of consumerism and materialism makes me very uncomfortable because I think about how much waste is generated for each unnecessary thing we buy.
I also cannot stand the inhumane way humans treat animals in our food industry. We are no longer at a point of being "symbiotic with nature". We're now exploiting it and destroying it in the process.

I believe these issues are possible to fix. I hear many people say things like "it's the corporations that need to change" and "why should I stop using plastic straws when some celebrities are flying their private jet thousands of miles per day". I disagree with this sentiment because I believe every small effort helps. Consumers have the power to choose what we buy, and grassroots movements can eventually shift economies when enough people make positive choices.
However, from what I've seen the activism and change for these issues always seems to be too little too late.
Fundamentally, I think too many people just don't care.

I have a hard time processing the reality of these issues. I feel a lot of overwhelming guilt and responsibility for participating in the systems that are against my values. It confuses me why other people don't seem to feel the same, and I wonder if maybe my brain is just wired a bit differently.
To me, the only way to live with any peace of mind is to strive for a zero-waste vegan lifestyle (which, admittedly, I know is virtually impossible).
I asked these questions in this post because I see so many people going about their daily lives seemingly unbothered by these issues (or at least not making lifestyle changes if they are).
As an example, I rarely see anyone bring reusable bags to my local grocery store. It's such an easy thing to do. It's a net positive for everyone because you have more durable bags and less trash. So why does no one do it? It baffles me.

I know that thinking about these issues has certainly made me feel more depressed and helpless. I would be a lot happier if I just ignored the issues and lived like everyone else. But I feel that I would lose my purpose in life if I did that.

Many religions are based on the idea that the world is broken, and I suspect many people rely on this as a comforting cop-out to avoid responsibility. For non-religious people, I suppose nihilism is another way to come to terms with it all.

I'd like to read some responses so I can better understand how everyone else thinks about these things.

 

[Forever Sleep]

Really ashamedly, I largely bury my head in the sand- if I'm honest over a lot of things.

Similar to you though, our impact on the environment is the one that probably troubles me the most.

To some extent, I've changed my lifestyle to try and reduce that impact. I've been vegetarian for a few years now. I try to recycle what I can. I give to wildlife charities.

That said though, I'm lazy when it comes to cooking and looking after myself. I doubt I'd do well health- wise if I went full vegan. I'll also take the convenient choice despite the waste it creates. Plus, my job- almost unavoidably- generates a lot of unpleasant waste. No matter how careful I am.

Maybe my greatest contribution is not having children. I think that by far is my most environmentally friendly choice. Imagine the generations upon generations of consumers and polluters I haven't brought here.

I suppose how I live with it is by assuring myself- this isn't my choice- to be alive. I'd rather not have been born in the first place! I'd happily die right now. The reason I don't is- because I believe it would devastate my Dad. Even though I know my negative contribution to destroying the world is real- the thought of his grief is more tangible. So, I feel stuck here.

I also struggle in life as it is. Perhaps I could make better choices in terms of career and lifestyle but- undoubtedly, they would be even harder. I'm not sure I have the strength or willingness for all that.

Sadly too- I don't share your optimism I'm afraid. The brilliant late, great Sean Lock kind of sums it up:



Not to blame Americans solely. I just think there are too many 'modern' humans that desire modern lifestyles- heating/ air conditioning/ travel/ convenience food/ entertainment. I simply don't see how children born now would be prepared to go without those things.

And, I suspect that's what it would take to really make a difference. A combination of many less people born- and people don't like being constrained like that. Plus- less energy consuming lifestyles- which most would see as a regression. Unless they really can find more sustainable ways of providing for what we've grown used to demanding, I personally feel/ fear we're pretty much screwed.

It's not to say I think it's impossible to reverse the situation we're in. It's that I don't think we'll make the changes needed in time. Put it this way- even if a person lives a very low impact life- if they decide to have children- their children may make different choices.

I had a lovely friend who was a major force in recycling in her area. She belonged to a group that would go around collecting the more challenging things to recyle. Cat food pouches for example. Collecting them up for more specialist centres that can handle them. But then- she kept cats too. Cats may be cute but they mirror us in the enormous carnage they do on native species. In the US, it's estimated they kill 1.3 and 4 billion birds per year. In the UK, between 40 and 70 million. But- they're cute and funny and fluffy, so people forget that. It's amazing the way we make allowances for what we feel we need.

I wonder how efficient recycling even is to be honest. Surely- it must still take enormous amounts of energy, water etc. Surely, it must create it's own pollution.

I still think it's worth trying to do our bit but I suppose truthfully, I think we're screwed. Ultimately, being anti- natilist though- I don't think we should have been brought into this mess to begin with! So- the ultimate responsibility for me- lies with parents.

We can only do so much to try and limit the damage we do but- they shouldn't have knowingly created a being they knew would contribute to sucking this planet dry!

I actually genuinely feel sorry for children born now. We didn't even have recycling when I was born. Climate change was really only a background thought. Now, I imagine children are born and almost immediately get the sense they are a burden on the world's resources!

I just think it's insane too. Like presenting them with a ticking time bomb as a baby shower present. So- we've partially destroyed this world we have brought you in to. Now, it's up to you to fix it to live in. Welcome to this dying planet. It's yours to fix or, suffer the consequences.