Prepping for a Darker Future
How to be a hopeful realist during dark times
This weekend I planted spring bulbs, not because I needed more flowers in my yard, but because I needed hope.
On November 6th, I woke up at 5 am with a sinking feeling in my gut. I reached for the phone on my nightstand, checked NPR and cried hot, shoulder-wracking tears. I was just beginning to feel a bit more hopeful after going through the destruction of a hurricane in my community and with the re-election of Trump, I feel as if I’m in a lifeboat watching the Titanic sink. I can hear the screams all around me, but in this case, no one is coming to save us. It was up to us to save ourselves, or at least stop most people from drowning, and we couldn’t do it. We were too selfish and racist and sexist and individualistic.
The US’s current target under the Paris Agreement is to achieve a 50-52% reduction in emissions by 2030. Trump’s likely policies will encourage more drilling and burning of oil and gas. In fact, we’re looking at an additional four billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere, according to a study by Carbon Brief.
At times being an environmental activist or even just claiming the more palatable title of“sustainability creator” feels futile. If I’m doing everything I can under capitalism to save this sinking ship and it’s still not enough, why bother?
I will continue to “bother” because I still have a tiny seed of hope inside me. I still believe that this earth is worth saving. I have no desire to live on Mars or in space. I will die here and eventually my bones will be given back to the earth. That gives me comfort. My ancestors endured so I could be here and that is reason to hope.
Although I think that tiny mustard seed of hope can keep me alive, at heart, I’m a realist too. As such, I’m preparing for a dark four years. I remember 2020 and I was not in a good space at that time. Some folks are predicting another pandemic, some folks are predicting a financial collapse. I don’t know what will happen, none of us do, but I know that making some preparations makes me feel more in control in a very uncontrollable environment.