Finding Thanksgiving Gratitude Regardless Of Environmental Sorrow
Picture: Peter Miller.
Being an ecologist can be difficult. Honestly, there are times I simply desire to curl up in a ball and cry.
Increasingly, I see the world through the lens of environmental loss and growing stress and anxiety. And the more I learn, the harder it ends up being to overlook the facts. Things I never hesitated about, now give me trigger for concern.
Take Thanksgiving. I had a charming discussion with my sibling on the Wednesday prior to the vacation. We mentioned Thanksgiving strategies and upcoming holiday dream lists.
In parallel, my brain was battling with an environmental story of unsustainable farming practices, groceries offered in plastic packaging, leftovers divvied up into single use plastic containers, food waste, and miles took a trip without factor to consider for carbon offsets.
I believed of vacation consumerism and my worry it will be required to new heights this year due to both genuine and perceived supply chain shortages. I considered the post-holiday mountains of garbage from wrappings and excessive packaging. I when enjoyed the joy of a brilliant plan topped with an ideal bow, and now battle to discover that happiness within the confines of my environmental values.
My conversation with my sister also wandered to the environment. We lamented the challenges of the current COP 26 meeting and I rattled off a bevy of stats I d discovered preparing a recent school project: 5 million lots of United States medical waste per year; an extra 8 million global tons of plastic waste from the pandemic; 25,000 heaps already in the oceans. It was both overwhelming and depressing.
As I hung up the phone, I believed of the persistent optimism promoted by Christiana Figueres, the former executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change who brokered the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement. It is the choice we need to make as we work to stop environment modification. Stopping working to do so would merely suggest giving up.
But, in my dark moments of feeling overwhelmed, I have events where I question if its even worth it. Would not drifting in the stream of ignorance and consumerism be easier than having a hard time to swim versus the tide of deteriorating ecological conditions?
These minutes and these ideas dont make me happy, but it would be deceitful to pretend they dont exist. And, indeed, it would be unfair to me and others who experience similar anguish. Our environmental sorrow is real and it needs to be acknowledged.
Sorrow can not be the space in which we live; I believe we each have to discover our own versions of persistent optimism. It might not constantly come from the very same location, however we need to find it.
This time, I found my optimism on Thanksgiving Day. There were brilliant red berries on a holly bush, maple trees ablaze in fall foliage, and magnificent oak trees, the towering quiet sentinels carefully swaying in the breeze.
I could not feel the delight however help of household events and be caught in the wonder of yet another season of deciduous shift. That was my minute of thanksgiving; appreciation for experiencing the warmth of community and the wonder of this incredible home we call Earth.
While indifference might at times seem the easier option, its truly not an alternative. It would be more difficult to overlook the appeal that surrounds me than to venture to secure it. While much has been lost, there is still so much to be conserved.
Colleen M. Fitzpatrick is a medical physician and a student in the Executive Master of Public Administration program at Columbia Universitys School of International and Public Affairs.
by
Colleen M. Fitzpatrick|December 7, 2021
Progressively, I see the world through the lens of environmental loss and growing anxiety. We spoke of Thanksgiving plans and upcoming vacation wish lists.
I when reveled in the pleasure of an intense package topped with a best bow, however now battle to find that happiness within the confines of my ecological values.
Our ecological sorrow is real and it requires to be acknowledged.
This time, I discovered my optimism on Thanksgiving Day.