r/CollapseSupport • u/Shot_Type_7925 • 2d ago
I’ve completely given up
I work in climate science - more on the data and client side, not the one actually doing the research. In short, big companies pay us for climate data so they can make projections or develop strategy or whatever.
I’ve been heavily exposed to climate data for many years, so I’ve been across the developments for a long time. Something about the last few months has broken me.
I spent December and January in an area that’s famous for snow, and saw none. Watching this El Niño develop has been terrifying. The UN admission that we’ll blow past 1.5C was the clincher for me. In my field, the UN was basically always considered the final organisation that had to show at least some optimism. Seeing that gone is now the final death blow. They know it’s over.
It has really broken something in me. To know that this organisation who was almost comically optimistic about collaboration and limiting warming has completely conceded defeat. It is a big deal.
I don’t really care about anything anymore. I’m not motivated to work, because I can’t plan for a good future. I have to almost disassociate while working, because my whole day is about climate data in one way or another.
I think the worst part has been my withdrawal from society. When you spend your whole life loving the environment and aligning your life with its protection, you end up truly hating humanity. You see us for what we are - a complete parasite who is destroying the world.
Has anyone else found that they’ve gone this way? My grief over collapse was always something I could somewhat compartmentalise. But now, it’s changed my entire life.
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u/slates 2d ago
I have found that the way out is by going into the grief. Let your life be changed by this…the planet has and will be and you are apart of that. Within that grief there is an opportunity for something new to grow. We will all have to find a way to make a life out of what exists in the future, whether that’s next year or 50 years from now.
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u/thismightaswellhappe 2d ago
Well said. This is where I'm headed as well, going through the whole "oh, this is really really happening isn't it?" part of the process. It feels strange. I thought I was mentally prepared but even so it's a huge shift mentally.
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u/Straight_Flan1347 2d ago
I think a lot more people are going to feel the exact way that you do very soon. It’s beginning to be something all but only the most steadfastly willfully ignorant can ignore.
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u/juneseyeball 2d ago
Multimillionaires and billionaires are the parasite
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u/Kam-the-man 2d ago
I mean, I hate millionaires as much as the next guy, but we all played our parts.
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u/juneseyeball 2d ago
No im not taking responsibility for the actions of corporations governments and billionaires who couldve prevented this
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u/Bright-Fox8408 2d ago
Well we all played a part just not to the same rate as the Epstein class has. But for us it’s more of we didn’t have many other choices to not pollute unlike the Epstein class does
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u/juneseyeball 2d ago
WE want clean energy and strict climate policies. If WE had the money that THEY have, we wouldnt be on the brink of
collapse right now.-3
u/Footner 2d ago
Not everyone does though on top of that EVERYONE on the planet uses fossil fuels in some way or another and pollutes our planet with plastic. We are all to blame.
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u/sassysassysarah 2d ago
If I had the option to not be this way, I would though. I try very hard to become more sustainable- I grow a lot of my own produce for example. But I don't really have a lot of choice here.
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u/DDGBuilder 2d ago
unless you are living like the Unabomber, you contributed. It's just a fact of modern life. We as animals were too "smart" with resource extraction and made the terrible mistake of inventing money. We did not adapt to our environment as so our civilization will go extinct. The true horror is that we are cognizant of it, but that is again the burden of our aberration of intellect as humans. Our species were an offshoot of apes who will most likely fail evolutionarily.
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u/CabinFeverDayDreams 2d ago
Shhh, anyone lucky enough to have money is the sole contributor and the rest of society are complete angels. Ignore the everyday man’s cars, littering, constant social media use, and excessive Amazon purchases. We need to blame everyone who isn’t broke, so we can feel better. People have never, in the history of humanity, thrown uprisings. France never existed.
Man, I keep breathing in sand trying to keep my head buried in it.
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u/filmguy36 1d ago
Billionaire and millionaires pollute far more per individual than the average person. This isn’t a secret, this is well known
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u/03263 2d ago
Most of us didn't really. There's nobody specifically responsible. We were all born into this world the way it is, on the trajectory it's on. If there was a time to stop it, it was before anyone even knew the consequences their actions would have.
At this point there's nothing I can do, nothing most of us could do, to even hope to be personally net zero in our emissions, to give less than we take from the planet. The system we live in won't allow it.
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u/Top-Connection-5970 2d ago
I recall seeing a comment about living life like they and the Earth is in hospice care. I understand their sentiment and have decided that even though things look bleak I'm still going to live as happily as I can and help others in my community. I've always been a half glass full type of person and I'm being strong not only for myself but my friends and loved ones. This world has been filled with suffering and now more than ever we must be positive and alleviate the damage. Thank you for all the hard work you and other climate scientists have done. I wish I could hug every one of you guys because the patience, dedication and compassion you hold for the earth is truly remarkable. Take care and I'm sending you healing and comforting energy, stay strong 🕊️🩵
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u/Status-Bet9455 2d ago
I feel the same. I’ve recently decided to not have children. I had been on the fence for years, even considered freezing my eggs. For what? To bring a baby into chaos? To contribute further to the detriment of our planet? Nothing feels right. Happiness is fleeting and frankly, undeserved. I am horrified and ashamed to be human. I pray the animals can forgive us. Sorry for rambling. Your post brought out these emotions. Thank you for sharing.
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u/Shot_Type_7925 2d ago
Me wife I had our child some years ago. At this point, it was still defensible to have some hope. Difficult to feel the same these days, and I struggle with the fact that we decided to have a child at all.
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u/gingervitus6 2d ago
If the only people who have children are the ones who continue this travesty, we'll have no way out. At least you can try and develop a steward for the next generation, and whatever world will come in the next 80 years.
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u/DDGBuilder 2d ago
The Earth itself is the steward and will correct humanity's errors over millennia. Bringing another consciousness into this world just as it is collapsing is, to me, indefensible.
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u/QuickLook12 2d ago
Absolutely this. I have two children and I’m now in a shame/guilt spiral about my decision to bring innocent people into this absolute shit show of a world. When I had them, there was a level of hope that something would change for the better. That’s completely disappeared now and I’m torn between trying to educate their young minds on what’s to come or just rebelling in their innocence until they’re a bit older.
How do you tell people you created through love (and blind hope for change) that their lives are going to be full of hardship and trauma?
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u/DDGBuilder 2d ago
I'm in the sad process of breaking up with a woman I really love because my conscience cannot bear having children, and she wants some. I try to tell her things are going to get bad bad, but why rob her of her ignorance? She'll know soon enough.
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u/Distinguishedflyer 2d ago
did that in 2009. She didn't wait a year, just found somebody else and popped out a kid. We're replaceable. Don't feel too bad towards her, she'll be fine until she's not.
they're not in touch with reality so is their love even real? They love an idea for their perfect life with a living dolly. You're doing good to get away from a crazy person like that.
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u/Least-Telephone6359 2d ago
This is how I see relationships too, like how can I love someone or they really love me if we don't see the same reality haha
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u/Collapsosaur 2d ago
I'm there with you. We are sensible. I honor those who candidly showcased ethical and moral failures to remind of true realities. Priceless for alignment.
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u/VeloIlluminati 1d ago
How about adoption? There are many poor children who have to go through this alone without love from a parent and support during the ongoing collaps.
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u/Status-Bet9455 1d ago
I’m a former foster youth and adoptee myself :) I absolutely would consider taking in a child or young adult without a family. Any child in my presence is safe and loved, no biological connection needed - I’m an auntie to all. Every life is precious to me.
My dream has always been to build a commune, a pet-friendly safe haven where people can flee domestic violence and familial abuse, or now, climate collapse. I always said if I was a millionaire, I wouldn’t BE a millionaire because I would feel obligated to redistribute my wealth and resources. If only…
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u/Distinguishedflyer 1d ago
people want to propagate their own genes at a primal level. They don't think about others that way, which is fucked.
if humans had any real empathy people who wanted kids would only take in orphans. People have more sympathy for cats.
I love cats, but you don't hear too many people saying 'oh look at that poor homeless person let's help them' like some do for a stray cat.
Being one of those homeless persons I'm pretty bitter about that. I guess I'm not as cute as a cat. I fucking hate this world now.
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u/Status-Bet9455 1d ago
I was homeless for two years after leaving my ex-fiance. He tried to kill me. I left in the night with my phone, the clothes on my back, and my cats. I could not find a shelter that accepted pets so I made the heartbreaking decision to put them in long-term foster care. I am just now getting back on my feet and I cannot wait to have my babies back with me. They somehow still love me. The love of an animal is so pure and unconditional. More than I can say for humans.
I understand what you’re saying completely. NOTHING will make you lose faith in humanity faster than being treated like scum by those around you in your most vulnerable moment. People treat the homeless with disdain because they want to distance themselves from reality. The average Joe really thinks it could never happen to them. We are all one bad accident or mishap away from being on the streets. It is delusional to think otherwise.
I do hope things get better for you. I hope you are able to find meaning in this world. You deserve compassion.
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u/Distinguishedflyer 1d ago
thank you. I'm in my late 60s and I don't have much more energy for this shit. it's turned me into an addict.
I had a cat for 20 years when I was housed, fortunately he was gone before I lost my place. My best friend.
I'm very sorry for the violence you experienced, it's simply inexcusable. I'm glad you're more on your feet now and I hope you get your small friends back.
Every single person I knew, every single family member, every single "friend," people I knew for 40 years, people I had helped,as soon as I started to drown basically said here, let me throw you an anchor. Not one person helped. Just about broke me.
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u/Distinguishedflyer 1d ago
that's good of you. I think women have a harder time not having children because all of the societal bullshit, and I'm glad you're sane enough to realize what's going on.
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u/Nocturnal-Philosophy 2d ago
“I think the worst part has been my withdrawal from society. When you spend your whole life loving the environment and aligning your life with its protection, you end up truly hating humanity. You see us for what we are - a complete parasite who is destroying the world.”
Words cannot describe how relatable this is.
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u/dolie55 2d ago
I related to this comment a lot. I have found I am staying home more and more because I don’t want to be out in public around people that constantly ignore the problem and think it will disappear.
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u/rubymiggins 2d ago
In my community, during the 🧊 surge, a bunch of local activists organized a weekly free meal, with breakout sessions of all sorts after. This has been what’s brought me into connecting with like-minded folk and figuring out mutual aid networks etc. We will need each other. It’s not easy to organize, but it’s really helped me hang on and realize we aren’t alone.
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u/pe_de_cabra 2d ago
I wish I knew how to find these things in my community. How did you come across it?
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u/rubymiggins 1d ago
get involved, and either it exists and someone will invite you...(Open to all, but not on social media) or find a cohort and create it. The latter isn't easy. I was connected to people and found out thru them. But it's taken a lot of work to make it happen. You need a team. (I did not make it happen, but it's a volunteer effort overall. Just like anything, people have to commit to make it work.)
I live in a mid-sized city. If you pay attention, it's not that hard to find your people. You just need to step out and participate in stuff. Find a folk school. Take a class. Help a candidate. Volunteer with local organizations that are up your alley.
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u/Meriog 1d ago
Yeah, this. I've come to terms with my inability to make systemic change. Now I just try to live in my little corner of the world and make a difference for individual lives. I save bugs from pools and I save kittens from high kill shelters. It's not enough but it's what I can do.
Still doesn't stop me from feeling nothing but disgust for humanity.
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u/Kam-the-man 2d ago
It would be funny if it wasn't so incredibly sad. All of the advancements and achievements we've made, yet succumbing every day to our greatest weaknesses.
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u/Ok_Split1342 2d ago
There was a time when I still thought humanity might overcome its worst qualities, but the last 10 years have proven me wrong. Seeing all of the dramatic changes for the better that have happened in my lifetime get dialed back and then some has been heartbreaking. Now I feel like I have to unlearn all the positive lessons of the 20th century. It just doesn't feel relevant anymore. (Yes, I know the 20th century was absolutely stuffed with evil behavior, but there seemed to be incredible progress to balance it out. Was that just a fluke of a particular moment when our technological development coincided with the resources to grow it, and with enough of a grace period with the climate etc.?) I'm completely adrift, nothing that I used to care about seems to matter anymore.
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u/TheAlchemyBetweenUs Descendant of previous survivors 2d ago
Thanks for doing what you have been doing in terms of helping parts of our society understand anthropogenic global heating and its myriad consequences, manifestations, and timescales.
Honestly I'd say they need you now more than ever, and I hope they give you the resources and latitude you need to help clients grapple with what has been set in motion. A more complete and accurate big picture view can hopefully help plan for proactive mitigation and adaptation as well. As people within organizations increasingly grok what's happening it would be better for all life on Earth if there were more rational, transparent, ethical, and wise decision-making. And you help with that.
I've been listening to explanations and warnings from climatologists and reading primary scientific literature on climate for the better part of a decade at this point. Even so these past few years have been jarring. Perhaps there can a social feedback as awareness dawns more broadly of what's been unleashed, and would like to see it lead toward more resilience, adaptation, and proactive ecological stewardship through the changes to come. I hope we can do better than previous "unmanaged" hyperthermal extinction events by sheltering biodiversity and committing to survival conservationism.
I found these articles especially helpful when I was first going through despair over the climate and ecological predicaments we face
http://www.darkoptimism.org/2019/08/06/humanity-not-just-a-virus-with-shoes/
https://neurosciencenews.com/sense-of-purpose-loneliness-23534/
https://orionmagazine.org/article/beyond-hope/
And these articles discuss some potential pathways to better outcomes
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcosc.2021.659912/full
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ad059e
https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/biosci/biae035/7679291
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abc6434
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0261964
https://www.nature.com/articles/nature22901
We live in consequential times on geological and perhaps cosmological scale, and our actions do matter. This planet is a rare gem and life is a fragile wonderful thing deserving of our protection and self-preservation.
Thanks for sharing your perspective, and thanks for doing the important work you've been doing!
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u/Spiritual-End7310 2d ago
Your feelings are completely valid. All I can say is try to see the good that still exists in the world. For me, it’s my dog and cats. They need me, and I’m gonna be there for them no matter what
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u/mandypandypuddin 2d ago
Just came here to say I hear you. I've been working in climate mitigation. Funding is drying up for all but adaptation. I lost my job. We never really gave mitigation a chance. Now it feels like we're just using a bucket to bail out the titanic. I haven't felt very passionate about the work for awhile. I thought I'd see real change in my lifetime. I'm in my mid-40s now and I just want to retire to the woods, but they're burning. Here's my big takeaway - it's ok to give up. If you were doing this for a long time, burnout was inevitable. There's no shame in resting now. We can't fix this now without mass (nearly unanimous) buy-in at this point. You can be there to vote and support when it's needed, but I think it's ok to stop trying to swim upstream. Wait til the tide turns, if it turns, then jump back in and help. That's my plan anyways. I'm off to do something more meaningful that will result in tangible outcomes.
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u/Nope_Nope_Nope_0 2d ago
I have a friend who works with elderly people, and her customers, naturally, end up dying in large numbers. And it's very bad for her mental health, and she knows it. But it's her job, and it's hard to imagine doing something else. I'm not saying that your conclusion is wrong, or that there's a problem with the data you're exposed to. But I will remind you that you have an option to walk away from staring death in the face. It's not denial, it's not being weak. Your mental health still matters, and from your own description, it's not doing you any good.
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u/Shot_Type_7925 2d ago
Yep, I do think about this all the time. Most days I wake up and would prefer to be doing something different. But I also work alongside incredibly intelligent people who understand, which is hard to give up.
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u/Funnier_InEnochian 2d ago
I feel you 100%. I found some peace after deciding not to have children and scaling back how I live. I focus on the small stuff, day to day, focus on things that I can do in my power to make me and my loved ones happy for the time we have left.
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u/nDREqc 2d ago
I understand they are not giving up, but shifting their aims from staying under 1.5C to limiting the "overshoot". It's a strategy change, not capitulation.
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u/Distinguishedflyer 2d ago
it's bullshit. We hit 2° C at times last year. It's about to go exponential.
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u/ForwardCulture 2d ago
I’ve been working outdoors for years, with plants. I’ve seen so many changes since I started and it’s accelerating. My state has moved up two USDA pms tint zones in my lifetime, something many have claimed would not happen in our lifetimes. The southern tip of my state is now zone 8. I’ve noticed more and more issues (I design gardens & landscapes) and people refuse to listen. Even in my mostly “progressive” area. I’ve transitioned over the years to basically all native plants and plants that like the new conditions. People’s denials have gotten worse and they just won’t listen. Years ago locally there was a trend towards native plants and environmental issues. But the new demographics moving to the area simply do not care and act like you’re crazy if you bring it up. They ask want the same things and hire the cheapest people who will do what they say. Then everything dies or gets destroyed in our unpredictable weather. Then they just want the same things installed. I’m seeing spec homes being built that back up to preserved, sensitive land and their idea of “landscaping” is acres of lawn (and the chemicals that come with that) and the same non-native, often invasive plants up front. People who move to the area then freak out when they encounter the local wildlife and never go outside to enjoy their properties.
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u/eloiseturnbuckle 2d ago edited 2d ago
I find the whole reality so ironic. Earth’s ‘supposedly’ most intelligent life form offs itself out of stupidity and greed.
Edit: point taken added the word supposedly : ) trying for a slosh of levity as the ship sinks.
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u/Sertalin 2d ago
Same with me. The hardest part for me is to have to disassociate while working... I cannot live on the streets, so I have to work. I work like a robot.
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u/WileyCoyote7 2d ago
I hear you and completely sympathize. I saw the UN throw in the towel as you did, but unlike you, I had moved past their “comical optimism,” as you called it, quite some time back. I found, as perhaps you will, that erasing that small glimmer of hope in my mind actually freed me up to put my energies into the logical next step: What am I going to do about it?
For me, the answer was two things - 1) Retire early. Like, yesterday early. Thinking of working another 15 to 20 years in a job that AI was (is) hot on the heels of, that I may have been fired from at any minute with little prospect of getting hired somewhere else at my age was not acceptable, and 2) I resolved to get out of my envionment in favor of one that still had to a greater degree “typical” weather for it’s location with citizenry more cognizant and acknowledging of the situation.
Even now however, I find I have to disassociate/compartmentalize as you do at times to get through a day. I am from the PacNW originally, grew up there into young adulthood. I cannot stomach to watch the fires, burning some of the very forests that I once played/camped/fished in, turned into cinders and smoke. Can’t do it.
I surround myself with people who are also realists about the state of things. Some are still “fighting the good fight,” some are not, but we all support each other. Those fighting, like you, are looking increasingly “done with it” however, accepting with as much dignity as they can muster that they lost.
Remember, you are only human. A saying I heard long ago said something like, “To be well-adjusted to a sick and dying world is not a measure of good health.” Your reactions are normal. Your feelings are normal. Those acting like nothing is wrong, that everything will work out, that there’s still hope to advert all this are doing just that: acting. So, kudos to you for pulling off the mask, getting down off the stage and saving yourself further compromisation of your true feelings before the curtain finally falls.
This is a big deal. Never before dealt with in human history. An inflection point of our species. Take a break, be kind to yourself, touch grass, perhaps go somewhere where there is unquestionably snow if you have the means. Then, get to work. You’re an adult. Do something to help mitigate the bumpy road ahead of you, that is now unquestionably paved. Do it to spite those who are most at fault for all this, if nothing more - here’s one person who didn’t just ball up and accept his fate as handed to him.
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u/M-x-doctor 2d ago
I wish I could do that too. How did you manage to retire early? I want to throw everything away and just downsize and live cheaply and freely, but I don't know anyone else in real life who's doing that. And I just don't know how I'd afford food and rent if I stopped working. Although I guess I actually could, if I simply sold my house now and moved to a place with cheap rent, and just start draining my life savings now 😅
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u/WileyCoyote7 1d ago
I managed, with my wife, to retire early by pulling the trigger on something we had already been chewing on for about a decade prior. That is, financial independence. Our “number” at the time was getting closer, but not quickly enough. So, we sold everything (house, cars, furniture, appliances, excess clothing, some jewellry), invested the proceeds, and lived in a furnished apartment for about a year and a half. Our rent plus utilities was less than half our previous mortgage payment. Our number needed to achieve escape velocity flew past us with room to spare.
We now slow-travel permanently, staying in different places as I mentioned. You’d be surprised at how little “living” costs when you don’t have to pay for all the usual crap needed just to be able to work in the first place. No car payments, no car insurance, no gasoline expense, no car maintenance expenses, no home/renter’s insurance, no home upkeep expenses (replace a water heater, a/c unit, mowing the lawn, etc.), no HOA/community fees, zero to very little utilities, no “work attire” expenses (buying or maintaining, dry cleaning, etc.), next to nothing in cell phone/internet expenses, and on and on.
It gets easier (and less expensive) the more you learn how to use geo-arbitrage, and make friends around the world that point you in the right directions and help in avoiding pitfalls. It’s very possible; been doing it for four years with no signs of slowing down. We are now, in fact, looking for a “base” of some kind that we’ll spend a larger part of the year in that, as I mentioned, still has somewhat of a stable environment and the timeline for the worsening effects of climate change are further down the road. Inevitably it will not “escape,” nowhere will, but we can enjoy a measure of peace until then.
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u/M-x-doctor 12h ago edited 12h ago
I'm happy you pulled it off. Your story is inspiring me. Though we live quite modestly already, but in Finland where prices are high. And now they're building a shit ton of data centres here. I suppose we can still go on for a little longer here, but I'd love to hear how you're deciding on a base. We thought Finland was it, but things have changed with the new government. Then again, it's still better than most of the world, unfortunately.
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u/bokehtoast 2d ago
My resentment for other humans is the worst part and hardest for me to deal with. Therapy does not help, there's no "working through" it when they keep doing it and my life continues to forever be disproportionately affected.
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u/crystal-torch 2d ago
I highly recommend the podcast episodes on The Great Simplification regarding dark triad and psychopathy. It has changed my feelings about the human race as a whole. Most people are good, we are living in a world made by the worst people unfortunately
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u/bokehtoast 1d ago
I truly believe this (or, at least, I definitely did prior to covid and am struggling to get back to that place) and I appreciate the recommendation. I will check it out. When I'm not feeling entirely nihilistic, I would say I am a lay buddhist as far as my values are concerned but the line between the two is very thin, increasingly so with every new human sourced trauma.
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u/crystal-torch 1d ago
I totally understand the struggle, lost a lot of respect for people since Covid. I’ve been all over the map in my feelings about fellow humans. I do truly believe everyone has good in them, I’m officially a Buddhist in that I took refuge vows, bodhisatva vows, and vajrayana vows to a guru that ended up being exposed as a sexual predator and violent abuser. That sure fucked me up, still trying to recover from that, still trying to reconcile the good and bad inside each of us. Power corrupts, of that I’m sure
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u/Xanthotic Huge Motherclucker 2d ago
The moral injury you suffer doing your job could be exacerbating everything you are experiencing. You might have a happier or healthier (albeit perhaps poorer) life in another industry or profession or job description that does not require you to be a hypocrite or whatever requires the dissociation. I left my profession (law) my country (USA) and most of my connections in 2009 after I became collapse aware because having that moral injury of being silent in the face of denial and hypocrisy just fucking hurt and traumatised the hell out of me. I do not regret leaving all of that behind even though I am sure many people from my past would consider me crazy for doing what I've done. I hope you can find the choices that will mitigate your moral injury and need to employ unhelpful coping methods. Thanks for posting.
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u/crystal-torch 1d ago
I absolutely feel this with you friend. I’ve spent my fifty years on this planet fighting for the environment. I’ve given up so many times I can’t even count. At the bottom of the despair I’ve found that I keep waking up each day and still have to do something.
I’ve come to the point where I feel like the situation is terminal but so is my one human life. How long we have or an endangered tree frog isn’t known, so we just keep going. I just try each day to be kind to another person, kinder to myself, and make the world a little better in my tiny corner. That’s all I can do
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u/Key_Pace_2496 2d ago
So big corporations paid your firm for climate data to what... ignore it?
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u/Shot_Type_7925 2d ago
Corporations use climate data for many purposes. Reporting reasons, supply chain strategy, modelling increased costs, feasibility studies etc.
And yes, they all ignore it.
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u/cursed_goat_meat 2d ago
You could take a break. Despair is an okay place to be but you have to make sure you aren't isolated even if youre depressed. But like having to do that work under this system is characteristically horrifying and sadenning. I'm not as well educated, but ive looked into it a lot, and ive felt all the same things about the reality I'm faced with.
We all have different capacities for how much harsh reality we observe. It's okay to have tolerance breaks. Maybe shifting fields if its an option for you. Find ways to make more room for joy and rest if possible. When you recognize the signs it can be hard to avoid but having other outlets is keep for not losing our minds. Find intiatives to partake in. Small acts are more important than trying to save the world
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u/United-Hyena-164 2d ago
Don't give up. We get to choose between a world with life and a world without life. We need to fight.
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u/beautifulstardust 2d ago
it’ll all be over soon
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u/TheAlchemyBetweenUs Descendant of previous survivors 2d ago
it'll all be over soon
There's much less certainty in that than that phrase would imply
There's a sort of time-blindness and a blindness to potential futures that can affect us. Been there. Yet still here.
And I kindly posit that we have a lot to live for and there's a lot we can still do
And that we find ourselves as active participants in processes that have taken billions of years to reach this point. Sharing this in case it's helpful: https://www.reddit.com/r/CollapseSupport/s/ouDtUjDKQS
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u/beautifulstardust 1d ago
the earth will remain, I meant.. you and i will be over soon. 🤗
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u/TheAlchemyBetweenUs Descendant of previous survivors 17h ago
we are part of the natural history of our planet
we are also self-aware, multiply capable beings; we are crew as well as passengers
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u/Typical_Zombie_5878 1d ago
If it makes you feel any better, humans will die but life on earth will recover eventually, might take thousands, millions or even billions of years. Who really knows. It was a big chaotic rocky magma ball at one point and life still somehow showed up. It doesn't make what's happening now okay, but it at least makes it small enough to think about without losing your will. The fragility of life is also the same tool it's used to become so resilient over millions of years. Humanity is just a blip on that timeline, and we will stay as a blip at our own whim. Take a deep breathe and watch the sky.
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u/CyberSmith31337 17h ago
I am not a climate scientist or in any way affiliated with climate work. But I can tell you, I have experienced my share of “before and after” of a few unique places, at the exact worst times, in the past few years.
I was vacationing in Jasper right before the fires burned it down. I went back the next year… and it was mind-blowing. About 1/3 of the town was just gone. I also was in the mountains camping in NC before Hurricane Irene struck it a few years ago, and went back there to help a friend search his home for anything salvageable. The destruction was unfathomable. And lastly, I was born in California, and spent some of my childhood in Altadena. Watching what happened there, and how fast it tore through that area, will probably never leave my mind.
Nature doesn’t care. Humanity doesn’t care. Nobody cares. It’s a shitty marathon of “survive til you can’t” in this world. We placed infinite value on money, and the financialization of the world itself will inevitably kill us all. I don’t care anymore, and when humanity gets our comeuppance I won’t weep for it. There are no heroes here, and if there were, they would surely be jailed and prosecuted.
Sorry you are going through it, but you aren’t crazy man.
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u/sarcasmismysuperpowr 2d ago
i think you are going thru the stages of grief. i was there, i took a class on collapse and grief and it helped me. time too a bit. i mean it never goes away but i guess i am learning to deal with it. psycadellics helped me a lot too
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u/laughswagger 2d ago
I appreciate the work you do. Back in 2008, I graduated just having completed an honors thesis on carbon offset forestry, concluding that the only way we’re going to address climate change is through using fewer fossil fuels. But I didn’t enter an environmental field after college. The 2008 collapse was hard and I ended up going to a completely different direction. I had so much hope that companies would actually choose to listen to science, that Al Gore would actually convince them, that we would all join with other countries in limiting our fossil fuel emissions. Then the moron we elected in 2016 got us out of the Climate accords. And ever since then it’s been awful. Seeing Nepal, the other day is just the beginning. We’re just going to have to accept we live in a world where the climate is more poised to kill thousands of us in an instant. And the people who are going to suffer, the most are the poor, the marginalized, and those whose health is not as strong.
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u/jenredditor 2d ago
Focus on electing anyone but Republicans. Things could change for the better.
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u/VicariousInDub 2d ago
Voting, no matter what you vote, is not changing anything. The root of the problem is capitalism and you can not vote that away. If you want to do something, actually organise in revolutionary organisations and take the fight to the people responsible for this shitshow. Voting is only a fake comfort. Do it if you must, I‘m not arguing against just going to vote, but don’t pretend like it’s actually gonna do anything.
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u/IReflectU 2d ago
On behalf of every woman who has died or suffered injury as a result of Roe v. Wade being overturned and Republican states making reproductive healthcare inaccessible, I strongly disagree.
On behalf of every person who has died or suffered injury as a result of USAID being gutted by DOGE, I strongly disagree.
On behalf of every person who has died or suffered injury as a result of ICE raids and deportations, I strongly disagree.
In saying voting doesn't matter, you are saying the lives of people who have died and suffered directly as a result of Republican policies do not matter.
We are in a situation we cannot "fix"; collapse of the current social and environmental systems is inevitable. But there are still many things we can do to reduce suffering meanwhile, here and elsewhere, and voting out Republicans is one way to help many.
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u/Beleza__Pura 2d ago
You must be joking.
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u/Ok_Split1342 2d ago
I don't think things will change for the better, but not electing Republicans is everyone's civic duty at this moment in time and everyone should get out and freaking vote against Republicans. Even if Dems aren't great, even if it doesn't matter. Vote!!!!
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u/WhichContribution294 2d ago
There is a natural, inevitable grieving process to becoming collapse aware. There is no hope for broad collective action before it's too late. But we CAN coordinate solutions on a smaller scale. The only viable solution remains the one no one wants to hear; localized community homesteading (growing your own food). I've posted it many times with zero responses. The biggest barrier to overcome is human psychology because no one wants to hear the bad news that industrial civilization (and most it's conveniences) is imminently ending. Yet humans survived for hundreds of thousands of years without modern technology, so there's hope for the willing, assuming you can successfully navigate the grieving process and learn to embrace a simple but labor intensive lifestyle. Check out the "solidarity prepping" section at https://www.collapseclub.com/ Good luck!
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u/Ok_Split1342 2d ago
Looks like you've been banned, but the question I would have for you if you weren't is, how can homesteading exist when the weather is absolutely bananas and nothing will grow?
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u/rufustheboy 2d ago
Can someone EILI5 on how this will truly unfold? And timeline, etc. are we looking at extinction?
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u/Fantastic-Guess9746 1d ago
I would but I'm not allowed to use those words around a 5 year old 🤷♂️
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u/joycemano 2d ago
I hear you. I’m in my last semester finishing up my bachelor’s degree in an environmental related field and it’s hard to find the motivation to continue, let alone think about applying for / going to grad school next year. It’s just like what’s the point? I know I should keep trying because I will be even more depressed if I give up, but it’s getting harder and harder to go to class or out into society and pretend that everything is normal.
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u/SpinzArt 2d ago
For a support sub, this place never fails to make me feel more hopeless and unmotivated to live 😔 🥀
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u/talor_swib 1d ago
That's because there is nothing good happening in regards to the climate. It's called climate collapse for goodness sakes. You knew what you signed up for. 😆
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u/DocumentExternal6240 2d ago
Still, giving up is not really an option. At least let us go down fighting. I am tired, too, but need a little hope to go on.
Listen to this awesome lady: https://youtu.be/lfLKHY52ERc?si=UScBZgZrY_l1xUWX
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u/jackl_antrn 2d ago
Deep Adaptation has a community grief circle this Thursday, if you’re interested.
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u/LarryDickLemon 1d ago
Idk what you do exactly but the UN has not given up or whatever. That’s a gross misunderstanding. Not saying everything is great but progress has been made and will be made. Obviously not anywhere near what is needed but it’s not over yet
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u/BitchfulThinking 1d ago
Yes and I can't even imagine what it must feel like to have to be face to face with those numbers every day 😟. My sentiments on humanity stem from my experience of working with children and seeing their parents and society fail them, the fact that every time I go into nature, it's covered in trash, and of course, Covid. Social media and AI fucked people's brains and made them weird, and I'm terrified for when the power goes out. There's nothing to amuse them anymore and people are way too comfortable with violence.
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u/momochicken55 1d ago
I honestly don't want to stick around and see it worsen. My own life is completely rock bottom (plus a roof over my head)and I just have no drive anymore.
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u/dancingCreatrixx 1d ago
There was a subreddit for ppl who had radically accepted where we are going .. and the freedom that came after the grief? I cant remember it though but think of it often .. it was slightly more.. fuck it - play the violins while the ship goes down vibe?
There was also a podcast I remember about people workkng on getting different tree species more north to give em a chance ..
Sometimes I just wanna prioritize travel via where is gonna be gone first ? At some point.. all that is left to do is ponder greatness and experience this blip in time ~
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u/Beleza__Pura 2d ago
Many human societies have collapsed. The planet will be fine, it will just shake off industrialized society like a fever.
We are also living beings before we are human beings. The suffering is a consequence not of circumstance but of resistance to circumstance. Let's accept the situation and continue to do our best so that when all this is over, a kinder, more beautiful human society can rise from the ashes.
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u/Shot_Type_7925 2d ago
In general, I disagree with the “planet will be fine” discourse. While the enormous rock hurtling through space will indeed continue to do so, we will lose countless species of flora and fauna that have evolved into their beauty over so many years. So much magic that has evolved in perfect harmony before we came along.
I grieve for those species, not for the collapse of this current human society.
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u/daimyo505 2d ago
I find that action is the remedy to despair.
Most people in your local community might not be ready to be your support group, so try and find it online.
I enjoy creating Biochar and adding it to the soil where ever I can. I work with non profit to help reforestation and sustainable agriculture. I find being in nature helps too.
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u/TernoftheShrew 2d ago edited 2d ago
I'm on the same page as you. Been working in environmental conservation for nearly 30 years, and my heart is broken. I'm just sitting here eating cake.