Steamships and leaded mugs wound up on history’s trash heap and so will gooey, still-rotting petroleum. Transitioning from oily to nature-based energy will cool things down but each of these energy pathways currently assumes constant growth on a finite planet, and that’s a problem.
To preserve a livable planet we’ll need an unprecedented global re-think about the habits, expectations and beliefs that keep pumping out waste and destruction. We won’t dodge the worst effects of climate change until we fully acknowledge that excessive consumption and competition are uninspiring, stressful, and spiritually exhausting.
“Gratitude” is the most commonly-used descriptor in my recently-released novel, Tickling the Bear: How to Stay Safe in the Universe. The book’s intuitive, self-guided characters assess daily decisions within a framework of hopefulness and flexibility. For example, they acknowledge that the consumption of energy-intensive meat is embedded in family recipes and lifelong habits but that those habits can be adapted and will be healthier and provide a greater sense of purpose.
They sense that while traveling can be a pleasant pastime, it also is energy-expensive and ultimately makes even remote destinations hotter. They opt for making their homes and communities brilliantly livable, and as a result the need for travel becomes less compelling.
They believe that the real wealth resides in things like connections, enjoyable work, and sustainable design. These characters don’t need to do without, just become less excessive. Doing “within” is actually enjoyable because of the creative challenges it presents. (It’s an opportunity to have a wider sense of purpose).
Protagonist Marcus Blake, a professor of Futures Studies, playfully mocks the many off-target goals that misguide us. He challenges his students to consider, “In post-colonial countries like the U.S., have we designed a world that meets our needs, or do we settle for a stressful lifestyle we’ve been trained to want?” Shaking his head, he jokingly concludes, “To life, because we can’t be idiots without it!”
David Wann is the author of many books including Affluenza, Simple Prosperity, Superbia, The Zen of Gardening, and Biologic. In his first novel, Tickling the Bear, he created humorous, empathetic characters who strive for health and wellness rather than wealth and “hellness.”
