Title: Using our wisdom to tackle climate change – by understanding the mind where the problem begins
In this blog, we’d like to explore a new way of addressing the problem of climate change – by understanding the way our shared human mind functions. Scientists say it is the greatest threat facing humanity and despite the efforts of many governments, the problem is getting worse. How can we respond?
We know that rising greenhouse gas levels, which are responsible for global warming, are caused by increasing human consumption and a rising population.
The three factors which are driving this rising consumption – are our need for pleasure which comes from buying things we may not need, our fear which makes us want more and more, and our conditioning influences which make us want what others have because we think that will make us happy. https://blogs.humanwisdom.me/
Buying things that we don’t need and having new experiences bring us pleasure. We identify ourselves with our experiences and our possessions, and that strengthens the sense of self or the I, which makes us feel good. We seek gratification through pleasure, but this feeling of excitement from buying something or having a new experience, quickly fades away until there is a need for it to be replaced by new ones, and that leads to increased consumption.
So, why do we have this constant craving for pleasure? Perhaps it is because deep inside we have this sense of restlessness or emptiness, which we are not aware of, and the stimulation that pleasure brings covers up that feeling of the void, if only for a short period of time.
Explore this video that allows us to understand how wisdom can help tackle climate change:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2zcg6wLK1c
We are not satisfied with how much we have, and always want more. We want to accumulate wealth, not only because it brings us pleasure, but because we fear the future, which is often operating in the background. Exploring and understanding our sense of emptiness and our fear of the future can bring a natural stillness and sense of peace within, and with that, the need for pleasure also recedes.
The origin of the climate crisis, therefore, lies in the way our minds operate – in our need for pleasure and new experiences and our fear of the future, all of which lead to overconsumption. If we are able to tackle this problem in the long term, this is where we must direct our energy.
We can do this through education, where young people could be taught not only about the world around them but also about themselves. If we can do this, we could address this problem in a generation. Let us not say it cannot be done without even trying. It’s not as hard as it seems. Future generations are counting on us.
As Nelson Mandela said ‘It always seems impossible until it is done.’
To find out more about how wisdom can help you, and how it can address the problem of climate change, download the HumanWisdom app or visit humanwisdom.me.
