How to Avoid the Apocalypse
Ξ August 25th, 2008 | → 0 Comments | ∇ Uncategorized, links |
It’s extremely easy to look around today and find every reason to be pessimistic about the future. And, although I’ve always thought that there is a fine line between being optimistic and being unrealistic, I do think that real change always springs from a place of optimism and inspiration. In other words, if you want things to be good again at some point you’ve got to begin believing that is really possible.
We’ve already pretty much gone through the phase of opening our eyes to the grim state of affairs on the globe today - climate change, economic instability, etc. But, you can only cry over spilled milk for so long. Now that we’ve taken a good, hard look at the problems the next step is taking a deep breath and not just begin to move forward but to move forward with bold optimism.
Popular media is not helping us to do this. Major news outlets have a tendency to report on the disastrous because it makes for more compelling television. Very quietly, however, major changes are indeed taking place. I’m not just talking about change in laboratories and think tanks (though that’s happening too). I’m talking about real populist, grassroots change in areas like environmentalism, human rights, sustainable design, alternative energy and the list goes on. It’s a wave of human compassion pouring outwards and because it’s occurring at so many levels all over the globe, the greater trend at play probably won’t be recognized until we look back at it years from now.
Here are a couple of books that I love that address this trend, directly and indirectly, and will make you a lot more hopeful for the future. Change is possible. And it starts with a bit of optimism.
The Geography of Hope: A Tour of the World We Need
Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things
