Searching for hope while doomscrolling
Plastic bottles recycled to make flowers
I’ve just been doomscrolling, an occupational hazard, as in my occupation is, well let’s just say ill-defined. Writer, volunteer, someone who admittedly spends far too much time sitting on the sofa.
I live on my own, so scrolling on my phone and messaging people is my way to keep in touch. Maybe I should go back to good old fashioned letter writing? Oh, the excitement of a letter on my doormat with a foreign stamp attached.
Can we go back? It’s nostalgic to think of a time when we only had one major heatwave a year and we were so young we could spend it splashing in a paddling pool and not deliberating what to cook for tea, does two fruit flavoured ice lollies and an ice cream make a balanced diet?
Yes, the climate crisis is high up on my list of things to worry about. Our local council is now led by a bunch of climate deniers who voted this week to cancel the county’s 2019 climate emergency declaration.
Can they not see what is before their eyes? How close do the flames need to get before they understand we are cooked!
There seems to be very little hope around, but then I found a comment which made me stop – the gist of it was the more we read about the doom and gloom the more we become paralysed with fear and believe there is NOTHING we can do. It is game over; we have irrevocably tipped the scales towards self-annihilation.
The truth is there are more of US, sensible rational people who want to get along and live in peace and harmony, than there are of THEM. Those powerful megalomaniacs, who seemingly hold all the cards because they have the most wealth.
We need to believe was can turn the tide. Change the momentum.
The other week I saw a map on Facebook saying we were all Belgium – because we didn’t want the USA to win a football match. Now we are all Spain because Argentina play dirty.
We can unite behind a cause and be galvanised into action.
It wasn’t long ago people were whinging about the new bins (actually some people still are – food waste bins in a heat wave are not pleasant – thankfully mine have always been emptied on time and I have no complaints).
Now there is a shiny new bin in town and support for him is growing. He is seen as a saviour ready to knock a certain right wing “politician”, whose name I shall not utter, off his perch. (Actually, there are lots of other names I could call him and I regularly do.)
Is it a distraction from reality or British humour coming out on top? Uniting us giving us all a bit of hope.
And there is more hope out there, you just need to look hard to find it.
Earlier this week I made an unexpected trip to London; my sister-in-law had a spare theatre ticket to go and see The Boy who Harnessed the Wind. It is such an uplifting true story about a young boy in Malawi who loved figuring out how things worked. He tinkered with broken radios and worked on other things he salvaged. One day at school he found a picture of a wind turbine in a science book. Recognising it’s potential he set about building one to power the town’s water pump.
It is such a joyous and hopeful tale, especially as the theatre show is a musical. There is also a film as well as the original book.
We really do have the technology and the resources. We just need a spark of hope, a drop of rain, people with the tenacity to persevere and not give up. Someone to nudge us and say - just keep going!
Bad news is always easy to find. Bad news sells and we do like to whinge, it’s too easy to doomscroll and feel helpless.
Maybe it’s time to take action. Perhaps in shifts so we don’t burn out because let’s not underestimate the challenges ahead and how exhausting it can get. But if you see anything good share it and rejoice.
To quote Paul’s letter to the Philippians
“Don't ever stop thinking about what is truly worthwhile and worthy of praise.” 4:8
Or for those of you who prefer a quote from the Star Wars universe
“Rebellions are built on hope.” Cassian Andor
(with that in mind I plan to rewatch Andor from the beginning - more Star Wars quotes may follow with no apologies!)