Wow, so I'm only on episode 2 of the So Hot Right Now podcast, but it's given me so much food for thought, and I feel like another path in my creative mind has had the streetlights turned on. Christiana Figueres talks about optimism with regards to climate change, and working on our minds to choose the noise we hear.
She puts it so well, speaking naturally on the podcast, I've pretty much just offered a transcript below of what I took from it. I've got her book on my shelf, The Future We Choose, which I now cannot wait to read!
How do we get airtime for a positive narrative?
"It's about mental discipline. There is only person that controls our thoughts. Who do you think that is? Ourselves! So the more we allow for insanity to occupy our thinking, the more we succumb to that, but if we stand guard at the portal of our own thought, we actually have a very different experience. So I am not partisan to those that export that responsibility to other people. Yes there are some people that get a louder microphone than others, but it's not about the microphone, it's about whether you let the noise in or not, and do you want to have your mental attention open to all of the noise, or are you actually focussing your attention on the signal? There is a big difference between signal and the noise. And soemtimes we are just too lazy, and we just let all the noise come in and then it completely takes over, whereas if we can be more discriminatory and careful about what comes in, we actually can choose to listen and follow the postive signals, and the noise will just be in the background.
We have a choice. You can choose. The switch is just your decision.
This is very simple and profound, and can be totally transformational for your experience. Once you align your own experience with that, you begin to see that other people align themselves there, and you begin to see that these pieces begin to work with each other.
It's up to us whether we want to let in the 'noise' or not, and allow ourselves to use our mental capacity to deal with the overwhelming crisis that is climate change but there are many that can't do that.
So, let's leave with a couple of things we can do.
is this not the time when we are more with ourselves and with our loved ones to try to be the best human being that you can? And make that sticky, once you get out the door, cos otherwise we are so distracted with life, like having to get to work, and having to look after the kids, and having to do this, and etc etc. and yes we are all working much more, but it is the best time to incorporate and integrate who we are at core, as human beings, and to do that right now.
We are all sitting in front of our screens, so type in carbon calculator [in an Internet search], and you'll get a long list. Go in and find out your personal carbon footprint it. That will be a sobering expereience. We always know what our financial budget is, and our bank account so why not look at your carbon count. Compare it to the average footprint to other countries, and get a sense of your number. Figure out what you can do to lower your carbon footprint, before you get out the door, go back to school, and work, and undertake some serious carbon reduction at home. Guess what, that's some good time well spent."
This is amazing, and something I will try to keep in mind. It's really hard to communicate issues on climate change and the environment positively. I'll keep plugging away of course, but it takes work and conscious choices.
On her sugegsstion to calculate our own carbon footprint, I've done this before of course, but I did it again, and found a site that showed me ways I could spennd money to offset my carbon footprint after the results came in. I need to look into it more, but I found that pretty nifty.
My carbon footprint was pretty low for this year which shouldn't be a shock. The pandemic has stopped a lot of things so I imagine everyone's carbon footprints will be a bit lower, but regardless, the thought of paying a little back as way of offsetting my footprint for whatever it was during the year is a nice easy way of giving back, while continuing to live your lifestyle.
Comments