I’ll also accept “I don’t” and “very poorly” as answers
By taking what limited steps I can, and by not criticizing others if I don’t think their efforts are thorough, effective, or sincere enough (nobody likes a smug, judgmental, pedantic asshole). By recognizing that people cope in their own ways, and keeping an open mind. By generally trying to be considerate of others.
Pretty well. The resistance lives. We are all part of it.
We are all part of it.
I’m spending the holidays with close and extended family. Most of them don’t give a fuck about the climate crisis or gaza. They’re very worried about migrants and wokism though. Feeling pretty alone right now…
Ask em how they’d feel if siri terk er jerb. You’ll have plenty to talk about
I avoid the news, if it’s important one of my friends or family will tell me. Also, if something is going on but isn’t actionable (I can’t do anything about it) I try not to let it occupy much of my headspace.
Also, if something is going on but isn’t actionable (I can’t do anything about it) I try not to let it occupy much of my headspace.
That’s probably the healthier approach.
Exactly. Do what you can when you can. Everyone needs a hand sometimes. Be that for the people around you. Even if you can’t agree on everything.
Well I eat quite unhealthy, so I’m thinking I’ll probably die earlier then most. Sooo I guess I got that going for me.
By believing that eventually people will be so fed up with how bad things have gotten and start a revolution.
I’m not an accelerationist though.
2023 has been a calamity for my health, both physical and mental. The state of things doesn’t help. I’m better now. Touching wood.
I pray that someone out there will identify the root of the weed and rip it out of the earth before we’re allowed to strangle them, and then get devastatingly high afterwards.
I’ve been reading about increasing unionization and strike activity, leading to better deals for large groups of workers. The industry-level negotiations we’re already seeing are helpful in isolation; but that’s also the kind of energy that can lead to economic reforms that have a real impact on quality of life. Workers seem like the little guys, until a lot of them are pulling in the same direction, and then suddenly their demands become existentially important.
About a century-ish ago Americans were worse off than they are now. That led to desire for change, which led to decades of trust-busting, unionization, and regulation. We got things like weekends off, and a livable minimum wage. And not entirely unrelated, we also got national parks, the EPA, and endangered species preservation. We’ve back-slid a lot since those advances. But we can get them back, and push the needle even further next time. We did it before, we can do it again.
the fact that the world isn’t getting any better
I think you’ve beggared (begged) the question.
I don’t cope, I go out of my way to *make it better: I volunteer my free time to hand out food at any of those food shelter events locally, I walk trails with a trash bag and collect trash, I care for my elderly neighbors by visiting them a few times a month without warning and insist they find me a job to help them around their house and refuse payments (but suggest I accept a piece of candy as compensation), I use my turn signals 100 meters before I make my turns when driving, I call my old friends who live abroad just to remind them I care about them if they aren’t feeling good and they can always talk to me. Etc, etc.
Everyone should just ignore the eternal dumpster fires around them and try to make better as much as they can within their local vicinity.
This is it! Even if the world going to shit is as certain as entropy, you can still make things just a little better around you while you are able.
On this note, I grow landrace seed stock which I intend to share locally. Nothing beats action for feeling good, no matter how small it is.
Being the history nerd I am, I tell myself that this has happened before. Think of the Bronze Age Collapse or the Fall of Rome. For people who lived back then, it probably felt like the end of the world. But after many generations, they still managed to rebuild. I must keep going in order to document as much history as possible for future generations in the case that humanity survives all this crazy shit that is going on.
We still don’t really know what caused the Bronze Age Collapse, just that it happened and that we survived it, though it took several centuries to rebuild. The Fall of Rome happened so slowly that it was nearly invisible. Hell, there are still a few countries out there claiming the “Emporer” title and all are valid successors of the title.
This thing that is happening now is different. We know what’s causing it. We know how to stop it, we’re just not. And it’s coming at us. Super fast. Who knows if we will survive this?
A way of life is ending, but life will go on. Frankly I’m rooting for gas to be more expensive.
I chose to leave after Trump got in office—& it took like two years of planning/saving. It’s had real ups & downs but overall the best major life decision I’ve made.
How do I cope? Poorly
I feel like a spectator at this point. Fully aware of how the system operates and powerless to affect change without grave consequences. Materially, I’m secure. Not reproducing, so I don’t have offspring to care about their future. Fuck this timeline, maybe I’ll get to return at a cooler time.
