{"id":7262,"date":"2021-02-06T17:09:17","date_gmt":"2021-02-06T16:09:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/potulnauniverzita.cz\/?p=7262"},"modified":"2021-02-07T05:59:06","modified_gmt":"2021-02-07T04:59:06","slug":"joanna-macy-a-chris-johnstone-aktivni-nadeje-tri-pribehy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/potulnauniverzita.cz\/en\/joanna-macy-a-chris-johnstone-aktivni-nadeje-tri-pribehy\/","title":{"rendered":"Joanna Macy and Chris Johnstone: Active Hope \/ Three Stories"},"content":{"rendered":"

Book by Joanna Macy and Chris Johnstone Active hope \/ how to face the confusion of today and not go crazy?<\/em> (Alferia 2020, translated by Hana Bernardov\u00e1) reflects on current global challenges \u2013 climate change, species extinction, biodiversity loss, economic collapse \u2013 within the framework of an eco-philosophical concept. It names individual steps on the path to self-empowerment and also offers practical exercises for discovering one\u2019s own creative contribution to the world we wish to live in. This book summarizes experiences from the program Work That Reconnects<\/em> (Work, Reconnecting), which its authors have been conducting for decades, guides readers through four stages of a transformational process that draws on the mythical hero's journey, modern psychology, spirituality, deep ecology, and integral science.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014 Joanna Rogers Macy (born 1929) is an American environmental activist, writer, scholar of Buddhism, general systems theory, and deep ecology; she lectures and gives workshops worldwide, and is the author of twelve books. She is a professor at the California Institute of Integral Studies and the University of Creation Spirituality.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014 Chris Johnstone is a Scottish physician, writer, and coach. He trains health professionals in behavioral medicine and leads courses on the psychological aspects of the current planetary crisis. He founded The Great Turning Times, an electronic newsletter that is read by people all over the world. He is the author of Find Your Power: A Toolkit for Resilience and Positive Change<\/em> (2010). This excerpt from the book Active Hope<\/em> presents its first chapter (pp. 20-40) and excerpts from the second and third chapters (pp. 41-42, pp. 46-47).<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Active hope is not wishful thinking.
Active hope is not waiting for someone to save us.
A lone rider or some kind of savior.
Active hope means awakening to the beauty of life,<\/em>
in whose name we can act.<\/em>
We belong to this world.<\/em>
The web of life is calling out to us at this time.<\/em>
We have come a long way and we are here to play our part.<\/em>
With active hope we realize that adventures are in store for us,<\/em>
Strengths to discover and friends to support each other.<\/em>
Active hope is a readiness to engage.<\/em>
Active hope is the readiness to discover the powers<\/em>
in us and in others,<\/em>
readiness to discover reasons for hope<\/em>
and opportunities for love.<\/em>
A willingness to discover the size and strength of our hearts,<\/em>
the speed of our mind, the firmness of our purpose,<\/em>
our own authority, our love of life,<\/em>
the liveliness of our curiosity,<\/em>
an unsuspected deep well of patience and perseverance,<\/em>
the eagerness of our senses and our ability to lead.<\/em>
None of this can be discovered in an armchair or without taking risks.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Chris Johnstone<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Chapter One<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Three stories of our time<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In this chapter, we will describe three stories of our time, as mentioned in the introduction. The first assumes that our society is on the right track and that we can continue as we have been. The second reveals the devastating consequences of this way of doing things and the increasing breakdown of our biological, ecological, and social systems. The third story is about the increasing response to danger and the multifaceted transition to a life-supporting civilization. The realization that we can choose the story by which we live can be liberating. Finding a good story to engage with contributes to our sense of meaning and aliveness. We will explore how these stories affect our ability to respond to a global crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First story: Common practice (Business as Usual<\/em>)<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

How much of the food you ate in the last twenty-four hours is made from ingredients produced hundreds or even thousands of miles away? The answer for most of us living in industrialized countries is a large part<\/em>. For example, the average carrot, head of lettuce, or box of strawberries sold in an Iowa supermarket has likely traveled more than two thousand miles. And it\u2019s not just our food: many of the things we use have traveled vast distances before they reach us. Transportation costs are a major factor in making our era the most energy-intensive in history. Ari Fleischer may see this as the American way of life. But it\u2019s not just America. For those living in the affluent parts of our world, this way of life is increasingly becoming the modern, accepted way we take for granted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The modern life we are describing offers many attractions. It is common for people to vacation in far-flung places and to have their own cars, computers, televisions, and refrigerators. Just a few generations ago, such comforts, if they were even attainable, would have been considered the domain of the very wealthy. Today, advertisements make it seem as if everyone should have these things, and progress is judged by how much more we have than we used to have, or how much further and faster we can go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One way to think about our time is that we are the creators of a great success story. Economic and technological development has made our lives easier in many ways. If we are looking for a way forward, this story recommends a path of \u201cmore of the same, please.\u201d We call this story common practice<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is the story told by most mainstream political and corporate leaders. Their position is that the economy can and must continue to grow. Despite economic downturns and recessions, the prevailing assumption is that it will not be long before things improve again. In November 2010, President Obama expressed his confidence in the path of economic growth when he said, \u201cThe most important thing we can do to reduce our debt and deficits is to grow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a market economy to grow, it needs to increase sales. This means encouraging us to buy and consume more than we already do. Advertising plays a key role in stimulating consumption, and it increasingly targets children as a way of encouraging every household to crave goods. Estimates suggest that the average American child sees between twenty-five and forty thousand television advertisements a year. In the UK, it is around ten thousand. As children, we learn by observing others. Our views of what we consider normal and necessary are shaped by what we see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you live in the middle of this story, it's easy to think of it as just the way things are. Young people are perhaps told that there is no other option but to find their place in this order of things. Being successful is presented as the main goal, supported by secondary goals such as finding a partner, providing for your family, looking good, and shopping. In this view of life, the problems of the world are seen as distant and unrelated to the dramas of our personal lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This story of modern life is being told by global media. It is catching on all over the world, awakening a growing desire for consumption. Before 1970, only four items were considered essential in China \u2013 a bicycle, a sewing machine, a wristwatch and a radio. During the 1980s, the growing consumer class expanded this list to include a refrigerator, a colour television, a washing machine and a cassette recorder. A decade later, more and more people in China were starting to own a car, a computer, a mobile phone and an air conditioner. And the list is growing, as Joe Hatfield, CEO of Walmart Asia (1) explains:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We started with one meter of skincare products, now we have six meters. Today we don't have deodorants, but one day we will have deodorants in China. Five years ago, perfume wasn't doing very well here. But if you look at it today, it's an emerging market... there are a lot fewer bicycles, so there's less exercise associated with bicycles, and people are gaining weight, so what does that say? The sales of exercise equipment, sportswear, running equipment are improving, and one day we'll have Slimfast and all these products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some consider this progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Table 1.1. Some main assumptions of common practice<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Economic growth is essential for prosperity.<\/td><\/tr>
Nature is a commodity to be used for the benefit of humanity.<\/td><\/tr>
Promoting consumption is good for the economy.<\/td><\/tr>
The main goal is to move forward.<\/td><\/tr>
The problems of other people, nations, and species are not our concern.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Why shouldn't people in other parts of the world develop the lifestyles we consider normal in the West? And why shouldn't we continue to common practice<\/em> economic growth, where people buy more and more things and use huge amounts of energy (see Table 1.1)? To answer these questions, we need to look at the dark side of modern life and where it is leading us. This brings us to our next story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Second Story: The Big Breakup<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Public opinion polls for CBS and Fox News <\/sup>in 2010 revealed that most people believe that the next generation will be worse off than they are today. (2) Two years earlier, an international survey of more than 61,600 people in sixty countries had similar results. With so many people losing faith that everything will be okay, a very different way of understanding events is emerging. Because it involves a perception that our world is in serious decline, we borrow a term used by social philosopher David Korten and call this story big breakup<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In our work with people who are dealing with their concerns about the way the world works, we are surprised by how many topics of concern arise. The list in Table 1.2 lists five common areas of concern, and you could probably think of others to add to the list. Confronting these issues can be uncomfortable, even overwhelming, but to get where we want to go, we need to start where we are. The Story great disintegration<\/em> offers a disturbing picture of this place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Table 1.2. The Great Disintegration at the Beginning of the Twenty-First Century<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Economic downturn<\/td><\/tr>
Resource depletion<\/td><\/tr>
Climate change<\/td><\/tr>
Social division of society and war<\/td><\/tr>
Mass extinction of species<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Economic downturn<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The economic crisis that broke out in 2008 not only saw the collapse of financial institutions, but also rising prices, unemployment, home foreclosures due to borrowers\u2019 inability to repay loans, and food riots in many parts of our world. Just a few years earlier, in early 2005, the global economy was considered to be booming. With house prices in the United States rising rapidly, real estate was considered a \u201csafe\u201d investment. The mortgage market was making money and loans were being made freely, even to those with poor credit ratings. However, this boom grew into a bubble that eventually burst. An economist might see this as part of a boom-bust cycle. Another term we would use to describe what happened is overshoot and collapse<\/em>Here's an explanation why.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When something exceeds its point of sustainability, we call it by overshooting<\/em>. To restore balance, it is necessary to notice this and correct this overload. If we do not do this and the system demands more and more, the system can only move forward until it reaches a point of breakdown and collapse. The housing market and the economy could not continue to grow indefinitely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After years of unsustainable growth, the US housing bubble finally burst, and real estate prices plummeted in 2006 and 2007. With so many financial institutions invested in the mortgage industry, the crisis affected the entire economy. Financial giants fell one by one like dominoes. Governments borrowed huge amounts of money to bail out moribund institutions that had overshot and then collapsed. But what if the entire economic system was in overshot mode, and as a result, it was now falling apart?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bubble of continued economic growth is dependent on ever-increasing input of resources and produces ever-increasing amounts of toxic waste. The more we push beyond the sustainable limits of both, the greater the disintegration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Resource depletion<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

In 1859, when the first of America\u2019s oil fields was discovered in Pennsylvania, the world population was just over a billion people. By 1930 it had doubled, and by 1974, with the increase in food production from oil-fueled agriculture, it had doubled again to four billion. We are already on track to double again, with the world population surpassing seven billion in 2011. It is not just a growing population. The spread of modern lifestyles, as mentioned above, has increased our hunger, especially for energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the twentieth century, global fossil fuel consumption increased twentyfold. Oil became the dominant fuel, and today we consume more than 80 million barrels per day. If we continue at this rate, we will exhaust the available reserves within a few decades. The problems begin long before the oil runs out. As oil deposits become scarcer, extracting the remaining reserves becomes more difficult and expensive. The same is true for all of the world\u2019s resources. As a result, fuel prices are rising, and the era of cheap oil is over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every major oil price increase over the past thirty-five years has been followed by a recession, with oil prices doubling in just twelve months before the economic crash of 2008. When oil production levels peak and begin to decline (a point known as \u201cpeak oil\u201d), the inability to meet demand pushes prices sharply higher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Newly discovered oil resources are unlikely to save us. Over the past three decades, more oil has been consumed each year than is being found in new deposits. In 2006, the deficit reached four barrels consumed for every barrel newly discovered. Moreover, new supplies are either hard to reach, as in the case of deep-sea resources located more than a kilometer below the ocean surface, or of much poorer quality, as in the case of the tar sands in Canada. Our massive consumption of oil cannot last indefinitely. If we do not address this problem, we will be heading for disaster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The availability of fresh water, which is even more essential for life on our planet, is also declining. A recent United Nations report warns that within twenty years, up to two-thirds of the world\u2019s population could be at risk of water scarcity. Industrialization, irrigation, population growth and modern lifestyles have dramatically increased our water consumption, with water use increasing sixfold during the twentieth century. Climate change is also playing a role, with some parts of the world receiving more rain and others receiving much less. Severe droughts have increased since 1970, and the proportion of the Earth\u2019s surface suffering from very dry conditions has risen from fifteen to thirty percent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Climate change<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

When more people consume more things, they not only deplete resources, they also produce more waste. The waste generated each year in the United States could fill a truckload long enough to circle the world six times. Not all of our waste is so visible: the average European produces 8.1 tons of carbon dioxide each year, and the average American produces more than twice that. While this greenhouse gas is invisible, its impacts are not. Climate change is no longer just some distant threat to future generations: it has taken on a measurable and destructive form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 1980s were the warmest decade on record. The 1990s were even warmer, and the decade beginning in 2000 was even warmer. Associated with this warming has been a dramatic increase in weather-related disasters (including floods, droughts, and major hurricanes): an average of 300 events were recorded annually in the 1980s, 480 events each year in the 1990s, and 620 events each year in the decade to 2008. In 2007, there were 874 weather-related disasters worldwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As warming causes water to evaporate more quickly, the land in some parts of the world is drying up so much that crops are not growing and devastating fires are intensifying. The drought in Brazil in 2005 was considered the event of the century. However, the drought that followed in 2010 was even worse. In Washington state, forest loss due to fires in the past ten years has been greater than in the previous three decades combined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Warmer winds also carry more water from the oceans, causing other areas to suffer from increased flooding and extreme rainfall. Ronald Neilson, a professor of bioclimatology at Oregon State University, explains: \u201cAs the planet warms, more water evaporates from the oceans, and all that water has to fall somewhere as precipitation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2004, 35 centimeters of rain fell in Bangladesh in a single day, contributing to floods that left 10 million people homeless and destroyed much of the country's crops. Floods in Pakistan in 2010 inundated one-fifth of the country and displaced 20 million people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most of the world\u2019s major cities were built as ports on the seashore or on large rivers, and more than 630 million people live less than ten meters above sea level. If the land ice caps in Greenland and West Antarctica continue to melt, rising sea levels will inundate London, New York, Miami, Mumbai, Kolkata, Sydney, Shanghai, Jakarta, Tokyo, and many other major cities. Melting ice is also serious because land and sea surfaces absorb more solar heat than the ice sheet. This creates a vicious cycle (see Table 1.3) in which the more ice melts, the less solar heat is reflected, leading to warming and further ice melt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Forests play a protective role by absorbing carbon dioxide, but by cutting down forests we are losing this important process. Tropical trees are even more at risk because when the drying out of the soil by warmer air exceeds a certain point, the soil can no longer support large trees. A 4\u00baC increase in global temperatures could destroy most of the Amazon rainforest. If this were to happen, not only would we lose the cooling effect of the forest, but the greenhouse gases released from rotting or burning trees would contribute even more to warming, starting another vicious cycle. The term used to describe this dangerous situation is uncontrolled climate change<\/em>, during which the effects of warming cause further warming (see Table 1.3). Professor Kevin Anderson of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research warns of the catastrophe this could lead to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It's a matter of life and death for humanity... it's very unlikely that a 4\u00baC increase in temperature would not result in mass extinction. If we have a population of nine billion people and we get a 4\u00baC, 5\u00baC or 6\u00baC increase in temperature, maybe half a billion people will survive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Table 1.3. Reinforcing feedbacks in uncontrolled climate change<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Melts ice<\/td>The surface absorbs more heat<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

WARMING IS INCREASING<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The soil is drying out. <\/td>Smoldering\/burning trees release greenhouse gases<\/td><\/tr>
Trees are dying<\/td><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Social division of society and war<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Currently suffering the most from the impacts great disintegration<\/em> poor people. As oil prices have risen, so have the prices of food. Between February 2001 and February 2011, global food prices more than doubled, pushing more and more people below the poverty line. <\/sup>In 2010, more than 900 million people suffered from chronic hunger. In contrast, the richest 20 percent of the world's population (that is, anyone who can afford to spend more than $10 a day) receives three-quarters of total income.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While some argue that economic growth is needed to solve poverty, as the global economy grows, wealth flows far more to the rich than to the poor. The number of millionaires and billionaires is increasing, but nearly half the world\u2019s population still lives on less than $2.50 a day. Even within rich countries, the gap between rich and poor has widened. Twenty-five years ago, the richest 1 percent of people in the United States earned 12 percent of the national income and owned 33 percent of the wealth. In 2011, they earned almost a quarter of the income and owned 40 percent of the wealth. Studies show that the more economically divided a society is, the more trust declines, crime increases, and communities break down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to estimates by the UN Millennium Project (Millennium Project<\/em>) extreme poverty and world hunger could be eliminated by 2025 at an estimated cost of $160 billion per year. Global military spending in 2010 exceeded this amount by ten times, with the United States government spending almost as much as all the other countries in the world combined. The disintegration of our world stems in part from our pursuit of security by fighting enemies rather than addressing the threats posed by widening inequalities, resource depletion, and climate change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mass extinction of species<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Increasing pollution, habitat destruction and disruptions caused by climate change have taken a toll on wildlife. A third of all amphibians, at least a fifth of all mammals and an eighth of all bird species are currently threatened with extinction. The UN\u2019s Global Biodiversity Outlook concluded:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, we are now responsible for the sixth great extinction of species in Earth's history, and the largest extinction since the dinosaurs disappeared 65 million years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some species play a vital role in the healthy functioning of natural systems, and our survival depends on them. For example, microscopic plankton in the oceans are the food on which fish depend. These plankton also produce much of the oxygen we breathe. When carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels is absorbed by the oceans, it causes ocean acidification, which is harmful to plankton. The combination of ocean acidity and warming has already caused a dramatic decline in global plankton populations. If this decline continues, we cannot be sure at what point it will lead to catastrophic consequences \u2013 such as the collapse of fish life or a significant reduction in the oxygen available to us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dual reality<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Stories common practice<\/em> and great disintegration<\/em> They offer wildly contradictory accounts of the state of our world. They are two different realities existing simultaneously in the same time and space. You probably know people living in a different story than yours. Perhaps you yourself move between stories. It is possible to spend part of the day in your usual mode, planning for the future and assuming that it will be more or less like today. Then something activates the awareness of the mess we are in, and we admit in our hearts and minds the catastrophe that awaits us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More and more people have already experienced this disaster: homes flooded after extreme rainfall, farms abandoned due to prolonged droughts, contaminated water sources that are no longer suitable for drinking, jobs and savings lost. Mainstream Reality common practice<\/em> is increasingly interrupted by bad news great disintegration<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we first realize the horror of our situation, it can be quite a shock. Most of these topics are pushed out of the mainstream media, with coverage limited to the occasional documentary or fringe publication. The attention of the modern press, especially in the Western world, is focused primarily on spreading gossip about celebrities. We live, as former US Vice President Al Gore puts it, in a culture of distraction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When these topics do come up in conversation, they are often met with awkward silence. Two opposing perspectives usually prevent a smooth discussion. The first dismisses the problem as exaggerated. This is the voice of the first story, saying that it is not really that bad. The second perspective fully identifies with by a great disintegration<\/em>. This view sees the ongoing decline as so inevitable that it no longer seems important to talk about it. It is a resigned acceptance that things have gone too far, that there is nothing we can do about it, that we have passed the point of no return.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expression Things have gone too far.<\/em> is another way of saying we have gone too far. It is too late to prevent the damage that has already been done or to prevent aspects of the collapse that are already underway. Overfishing has already caused the devastating collapse of many of the world\u2019s fisheries. Climate change has already led to an increase in extreme weather around the world. Many oil-producing countries (including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Russia) have already peaked and their oil production is currently declining. These things have happened. But we can learn from them and make decisions about where we go from here. In their detailed study of global overshooting of production and consumption limits, environmental scientists Donnella Meadows, J\u00f8rgen Randers, and Dennis Meadows write:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crossing the line can lead to two different outcomes. One is some kind of collapse. The other is deliberate reversal, correction, careful mitigation\u2026 We believe that correction is possible and that it could lead to a desirable, sustainable, acceptable future for all people in the world. We also believe that if real correction is not done soon, some catastrophe is certain. And it will happen within the lifetimes of many people alive today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Story common practice<\/em> exposes us to the threat of a collision with disaster. And big breakup<\/em> can seem like a horror story in itself, overwhelming and beyond our control, paralyzing us. Fortunately, there is a third story\u2014one that is increasingly coming to light. And you are probably already a part of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Third story: The big turnaround<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

During the Agricultural Revolution ten thousand years ago, the domestication of plants and animals led to a radical change in the way people lived. A similarly dramatic transition occurred during the Industrial Revolution, which began just a few hundred years ago. It wasn't just about changing the small details of individual lives. Society was transformed at its very core, including how people related to each other and to the Earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And right now, a change of comparable magnitude and significance is taking place. It has been called the ecological revolution, the sustainability revolution, even the necessary revolution. That is our third story: we call it big turnover<\/em> and we see it as the most essential adventure of our time. It involves the transition from a destructive economy of industrial growth to a life-sustaining society committed to restoring our world. This transformation is already underway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the early stages of major change, initial activity may seem to be marginal. But when their time comes, ideas and ways of doing things become contagious: the more people embrace inspiring perspectives, the more these perspectives take hold. At some point, the balance is upset and a critical mass is reached. Perspectives and practices that were previously marginal become the new mainstream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is successful in the story high turnover<\/em>, is a commitment to act for the sake of life on Earth, as well as the vision, courage, and solidarity to do so. Social and technical innovations are connecting and mobilizing human energy, attention, creativity, and determination in what American environmentalist and writer Paul Hawken describes as \u201cthe greatest social movement in history.\u201d In his book Blessed Unrest <\/em>(Blessed Restlessness) writes: \u201cI soon realized that my initial estimate of 100,000 organizations was an order of magnitude underestimate, and I now believe that there are over a million (and perhaps even over two million) organizations working on environmental sustainability and social justice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don't be surprised if you haven't read about this dramatic change in the major newspapers or seen it in other mainstream media. Their attention is usually trained on sudden, individual events that they can focus their cameras on. Cultural changes happen on a different level. They are only seen when we step back enough to see the larger contexts that are changing over time. The newspaper picture, seen through a magnifying glass, can only appear as tiny dots. When our lives and choices appear like those dots, it can be hard to recognize our contribution to the larger context of change. Perhaps we need to learn to see the bigger picture and see how the story unfolds. high turnover<\/em> It takes place in our time. Once seen, it is easier to recognize. And when we name it, this story becomes more real and familiar to us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To help you realize how you may already be part of this story, we outline three dimensions: high turnover<\/em>. They are mutually reinforcing and equally necessary. For convenience, we have labeled them the first, second, and third dimensions, but we do not imply any order of succession or importance. We can begin in any one of them, and this beginning naturally leads to the remaining two. It is up to each of us to follow our own sense of rightness, which tells us where to act.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First Dimension: Delaying Action<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Delaying action seeks to prevent and slow down the destruction caused by political-economic processes common practice<\/em>. The goal is to protect what is left of our natural life-support systems, to save as much of our biodiversity as possible, clean air and water, forests and soil. Resilience actions also prevent the breakdown of our social fabric, while caring for those who have been harmed and protecting communities from exploitation, war, starvation and injustice. Resilience actions protect our common existence and the integrity of life on our home planet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This dimension involves raising awareness of the ongoing destruction, gathering evidence, and documenting the environmental, social, and health impacts of industrial growth. We need the work of scientists, activists, and journalists to expose the connections between pollution and rising childhood cancers, between fossil fuel consumption and climate disruption, between the availability of cheap products and harsh working conditions in sweatshops. If these connections are not made clear, it is all too easy to continue to unknowingly contribute to the disintegration of our world. When we raise awareness and try to make others aware of the problems we all face, we become part of the story. high turnover<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are many ways we can do this. We can choose to stop supporting actions and products that we know cause problems. By joining forces with others, we can add to the persuasiveness and power of campaigns, petitions, boycotts, demonstrations, lawsuits, open actions, and other forms of protest against actions that threaten our world. While stalling actions can be frustrating when they move slowly or meet with defeat, they also lead to important victories. For example, areas of rainforest in Canada, the United States, Poland, and Australia have been protected through determined and persistent activism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mitigation actions are necessary: they save lives, they save species and ecosystems, they preserve part of the gene pool for future generations. However, they are not enough on their own to bring about big turnover<\/em>. For every hectare of forest protected, there are many more hectares lost to logging or logging. For every species saved from extinction, there are many more lost to extinction. As important as protest is, if we rely on it as the only way to bring about change, we can become disillusioned and exhausted from the struggle. Along with stopping the destruction, we need to replace or transform the very systems that are causing the damage. That is the work of the second dimension.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Second Dimension: Life Support Systems and Procedures<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

If you look around, you can find evidence that our civilization is being reshaped in every area. Previously accepted approaches to healthcare, business, education, agriculture, transportation, communication, psychology, economics, and many other areas are being challenged and transformed. This is the second element high turnover<\/em> and it involves rethinking the way we do things, as well as creatively rebuilding the structures and systems that make up our society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The financial crisis of 2008 caused many people to question our banking system. In a poll that year, more than half of those surveyed said that their main concern used to be interest rates, but they now also consider other factors, such as what the money is invested in and what the consequences are. In parallel with this change in thinking, new types of banks, such as Triodos Bank, are rewriting the rules of providing finance by operating according to a \u201ctriple return\u201d model. In this model, investments not only bring financial returns, but also social and environmental benefits. The more people put their savings into such investments, the more funds will be available for businesses that seek to do more than just make money. This in turn supports the development of a new economic sector based on triple responsibility. These investments have proven remarkably stable in times of economic turbulence, putting ethical banks in a strong financial position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One area benefiting from such investment is the agricultural sector, which has seen a shift towards environmentally and socially responsible practices. Concerns about the toxic effects of pesticides and other chemicals used in industrial agriculture have led to a significant shift in people\u2019s purchasing and consumption of organic products. Fairtrade initiatives improve the working conditions of producers, and community-supported agriculture (CSA) and farmers\u2019 markets reduce the miles that food has to travel by increasing the availability of local produce. In these and other areas, strong, fresh shoots are emerging as new systems of organization grow based on the visionary question: \u201cIs there a better way to do things\u2014one that benefits and does no harm?\u201d In some areas, such as green building, building design principles that were considered marginal just a few years ago are now becoming widely accepted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we engage in these emerging streams of life-sustaining culture, we become part of high turnover<\/em>. Our decisions about how we travel, where we shop, what we buy, and how we save are shaping the development of this new economy. Social enterprises, micro-energy projects, community workshops, sustainable agriculture, and ethical financial systems all contribute to the rich mosaic of a life-sustaining society. However, they are not sufficient on their own. New structures will not take hold and survive without the support of deeply rooted values. This is the work of the third dimension. high turnover<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Third Dimension: Changing Consciousness<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

What inspires people to take on projects or support campaigns that don't bring them immediate personal benefit? At the core of our consciousness is a wellspring of caring and compassion. This side of us\u2014which we can think of as our connected self<\/em> \u2013 can be cultivated and developed. We can deepen our sense of belonging to the world. Like trees spreading their root systems, we can develop our connections and thereby give ourselves the opportunity to draw from deeper reserves of strength, to have access to the courage and intelligence that we so need at this time. This dimension high turnover<\/em> It arises with the changes taking place in our hearts, our minds, and our perceptions of reality. It includes insights and practices that resonate with established spiritual traditions while also aligning with the new, revolutionary findings of science.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A significant event in this part of the story is the space flight of the spacecraft Apollo 8 <\/em>in December 1968. This lunar mission and the photographs taken gave humanity its first view of the Earth as a whole. Twenty years earlier, astronomer Fred Hoyle had declared: "When a photograph of the Earth from outside becomes available, a new vision will emerge, as powerful as any in history." <\/sup>Bill Anders, the astronaut who took those first pictures, put it this way: \u201cWe came all this way to explore the Moon, and the most important thing is that we discovered Earth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are among the first in human history to have this extraordinary insight. It has come at the same time as developments in science regarding a radically new understanding of how our world works. The Gaia Theory, which views our planet as a whole, comes with the idea that the Earth functions as a self-regulating living system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the past forty years, those photographs of Earth, along with Gaia theory and ecological challenges, have sparked the emergence of a new way of thinking about ourselves. We are no longer simply citizens of this or that country, but are discovering a deeper collective identity. As many indigenous traditions have taught for generations, we are part of the Earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we move into the broader landscape of who we are, a shift in consciousness occurs. With this evolutionary leap comes a beautiful convergence of two fields that were previously considered incompatible: science and spirituality. The realization of a deeper unity that connects us is at the heart of many spiritual traditions, and the insights of modern science are leading in a similar direction. We live in a time when a new perception of reality is beginning to emerge, where spiritual insights and scientific findings are contributing together to our understanding of ourselves as beings intimately connected to our world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This third dimension high turnover<\/em> We participate when we pay attention to the inner aspect of change\u2014the personal and spiritual growth that increases our ability and desire to serve our world. By strengthening our compassion, we inspire our courage and determination. By renewing our sense of belonging to the world, we expand the network of relationships that nourish us and protect us from burnout. Changing ourselves and changing the world have often been seen in the past as separate, mutually exclusive endeavors. However, in the story high turnover<\/em> are recognized as mutually reinforcing and necessary for each other (see Table 1.4).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Three dimensions of high turnover<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Active hope and the story of our lives<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Future generations will look back on the time we are living in. The future they will see and the story they will tell about our time will be shaped by the choices we make in our lifetimes. The most important decision of all may be the story we live by and participate in. It frames our lives in a way that influences all our other decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By choosing our story, we not only cast our vote on what kind of world the next generation will inherit, but we also influence our own lives here and now. When we find a good story and commit ourselves to it, that story can work through us and breathe new life into everything we do. When we move in a direction that touches our hearts, we contribute to the driving force of a deeper meaning that makes us feel more alive. A good story and a fulfilling life share an important element: a compelling plan toward meaningful goals that are about much more than our personal gains and losses. Such a story is big turnover<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
A spiral of work restoring connection<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Reconnective work as a personal practice<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The spiral provides a structure we can lean on and fall back on whenever we need to draw on the resilience and resourcefulness that flow from the larger web of life. If you are feeling overwhelmed by disruptive messages, you can enter into gratitude simply by focusing on your breath and taking a moment to give thanks for whatever may be sustaining you in that moment. As you feel the air entering your nostrils, give thanks for the oxygen, give thanks to your lungs, for everything that brings you into life. The question, \u201cWho am I grateful for?\u201d shifts your attention from yourself to those from whom you receive, to those who sustain you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A moment of gratitude strengthens our ability to look at disturbing information rather than turn our backs on it. As you allow yourself to take in all that you see, allow yourself to feel it, whatever it is. When you experience pain about ours that goes beyond your immediate private interest, it speaks to your care, your compassion, and your connection\u2014all valuable things. When you honor your pain about the world, whatever form it takes, you take it seriously and allow the signal that pain brings to rouse you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you see with new eyes, you know that you are not alone in this situation. You are just one part of a much larger story, an ongoing stream of life on Earth that has flowed for over three and a half billion years and has survived five mass extinctions. As you immerse yourself in this deeper, stronger stream and experience yourself as a part of it, a different set of possibilities emerges. As your perception expands, the resources available to you increase, for through the same pathways of connectedness that flow the pain of the world, so too do strength, courage, renewed resolve, and the help of allies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the shift in perception that seeing with new eyes brings, you can let go of the feeling that you have to solve everything. Instead, you focus on finding and playing your role, offering your gift. active hope<\/em>, on how you can best contribute to the healing of our world. And as you move to move forward, you consider what that might be and what your next step will be. Then you take that step.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What we have described here is a short form of the spiral, one cycle of which may take only a few minutes. Like a fractal, which has the same characteristic shape no matter how we look at it, the spiral form can be used for a wide range of time frames, with turns lasting minutes, hours, days, or weeks. We move through the four phases in a way that supports our intention to act for the benefit of life on Earth. The more intimately you know this empowering path, the more you can trust the process of the spiral structure. Each of these phases holds hidden depths, rich meanings, and treasures to explore. These are what we will explore in the following chapters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Ob\u00e1lka
Book cover of Active Hope<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Footnotes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

1) Walmart is an American retail brand that operates a chain of large discount department stores. Outside the United States, the company operates stores in 15 countries. (note: translation, source: Wikipedia)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2) CBS and Fox News are American commercial television networks. (note: translation)<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Joanna Macy and Chris Johnstone's book Active Hope \/ How to Face Today's Confusion and Not Go Crazy? (Alferia 2020, translated by Hana Bernardov\u00e1) reflects on current global challenges \u2013 climate change, species extinction, biodiversity loss, economic collapses \u2013 within the framework of an eco-philosophical concept. It names individual steps on the path to self-empowerment and also offers practical exercises for discovering your own creative contribution\u2026 Continue reading Joanna Macy and Chris Johnstone: Active Hope \/ Three Stories<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7263,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[58],"class_list":["post-7262","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-texty","tag-joanna-macy","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/potulnauniverzita.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7262","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/potulnauniverzita.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/potulnauniverzita.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/potulnauniverzita.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/potulnauniverzita.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7262"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"https:\/\/potulnauniverzita.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7262\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7297,"href":"https:\/\/potulnauniverzita.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7262\/revisions\/7297"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/potulnauniverzita.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7263"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/potulnauniverzita.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7262"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/potulnauniverzita.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7262"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/potulnauniverzita.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7262"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}