Fiddling regardless.
With the climate changing all around us, it’s interesting and, perhaps, challenging to ask yourself, what will you do as your world-context changes. No, this isn’t an issue that’s strictly tied to Caversham. But at the same time, it’s an issue that’s as relevant to Caversham as it is to everywhere else. The planet’s climate has a fundamental impact on all of us. Ultimately, it’s the foundation for everything.
The first thing that comes to mind is that without firm foundations it is impossible to build anything that will last. You can’t build in shifting sands. And thus the situation we’re all in should be one heck of a prompt to do one’s best to minimize one’s own impact on the climate. But what if you think it’s too late to try to make a difference? What are you left with? What are you going to do that you believe will be satisfying and worthwhile, as climate-related chaos becomes more and more evident all around us?
Perhaps you can say you’ll focus on doing the things that make you happy. That might be enough … but it assumes a lot, not least that you can – as it were (!) – insulate your own happiness from the lives of those around you. Can you fiddle while Rome burns?
Remember, too, that you’ll need to enjoy your choice in public. You’ll find it hard to hide your happiness from those around you, and presumably those around you may well react to your stance. But perhaps that won’t be the case: all you can do is imagine what you’d do and feel if the roles were reversed.
Let’s be clear: I am not advocating any particular response to climate change. It’s a very difficult topic. It’s very difficult to know what to do. But what I am saying is that we all need to be aware of the situation we’re all in, the choices we all have to make and the implications and consequences of our decisions.
