The Rules can be Changed

I’ve always said, in the “privacy” of my own mind, that when the world goes to shit (and having studied environmental science formally I knew it was when, not if)—please god (or whatever you pray to—and I do hope you pray) let me be on a remote island somewhere. Where people understand how to live simply and within their means—having no choice but to source most things locally.

I suppose I wasn’t prepared for it to actually come to pass. I, like everyone else have watched the world keep going within a broken system without much interruption. After years of preoccupation, I learned not to obsess over the world’s problems so much, sort of like how you learn not to pop your blisters—you may think you’re speeding healing but it’ll only make it sting and open you to infection. Infection in the former case being the takeover of a pessimistic view of life.

A friend who struggled with out of body experiences brought on by extreme existential dread asked me how I dealt with my feelings of worry about the world. I told her I’ve come to understand that nothing can exist unless it is in order with the universe; and so even the most “disordered” aspects of human life—plastics, toxic waste, capitalism, all forms of discrimination (racism, classism, sexism etc.)—could not exist unless they too were “a part of it all.” Nothing is out of order. We learn through contrast.. polarity. They are steps along our evolution, some so uncomfortable they necessitate us to invent the new. We NEED them to be uncomfortable for this reason. Should we fail to evolve, and we cause our own destruction, I take solace in the fact the earth will be fine without us—but I understand not everyone is born with Deep Ecology in their veins and such a statement therefore brings no peace at all.

In ecology we see it every time a population reaches its carrying capacity. There is a destruction of the status quo—the way that population has been operating. Change happens not because they morally want it to—but because it has to. There is a time of great upheaval, destruction, death, and re-organization, and it takes time for the tides to turn, but eventually a new equilibrium is reached. We are not separate from the rest of the natural world. There are not special rules for us. Buckle up people—change is amongst us. Destruction makes way for the new to emerge.

Listen—I’m preoccupied with my own puny life the same as everyone else. How will I pay my bills? What about my travel plans, I need a haircut—blah blah.. but the truth is something bigger than each of us individually is happening now in the world. In my informal studies of systems theory I have come to recognize one thing clearly—our power is in our ability to organize (enterprise) and act collectively. I’m amazed at how quickly the whole world has entered into collective action in response to the covid pandemic. It just goes to show how fluid the rules really are if we want them to be.

We have written all the rules of our society as it now, and even if it’s hard to imagine—we can write new ones (capitalism is only the best we’ve come up with so far). We can design a system that checks selfishness and greed, and exploits the best aspects of human nature. Changing the rules changes the whole game.. and ultimately I believe that is a very VERY good thing. 

Have FAITH. Your beliefs shape your reality. There’s a reason religions of all shapes and sizes talk about faith—it is our ancestors trying to put what they have experienced as real into words, to pass down to us. I know I’m supposed to “wake them gently,” but if something like faith is too “woo woo” for you it’s time to grow up. You’re behind. The non-physical gives rise to the physical, and just because you ignore it and focus instead on the purely rational or materialistic ways of viewing life—doesn’t make it any less real. If the only “god” you have faith in is science then take a deep dive into quantum physics, epigenetics etc. and come talk to me when you’re ready to admit there’s more to this world than science can currently explain. Stop bumbling around in the tide pool telling me the walls just “are where they are” and realize there’s a whole ocean to swim in if you could only look up. We need you swimming with us. 

Love,

Sylvie