This call out - and the timing of it - was perfect.
“It’s much harder to give a shit.”
I’ve contemplated cynicism over the years (at 57 I have many under my belt) and believe that “cynicism creeps into people when they get scared.” That’s been my personal experience and my experience of others when I observe them becoming skeptical or cynical. There’s some underlying fear, and cynicism enables us to creat distance between us and that which we fear.
Which is why, if we can address the fear, or at least change our relationship with it, we can move into action like the person you wrote about in your essay.
I’ll speak for myself here: cynicism is a way to avoid feeling shame. As I read about your subscriber who bought the block on a remote island, the first thing I felt rise up was shame. The second thing I felt rise up was the need to criticize this person.
It wasn’t until I acknowledged those feelings and let them cool off that I had room for curiosity. There’s so much I don’t know about permaculture and climate change. Like, all of it. There’s so much to explore and learn.
Amen! I think the general economic progress of the recent periods have made people complacent. They think we shouldn’t have problems and that other people shouldn’t be making mistakes or, god forbid, have flaws.
So many people think I’ve mastered my life, why can’t the others catch up?
This is so flawed on many levels. In fact, I have started to believe we thrive on problems, flaws and fixing them. That’s what humanity has been about and will always be about.
I love all your writings, but I'm a bit cynical about this one. You know how much I hate yard work. 🙃
Alex, a terrific and thought-provoking piece. 🙏
This call out - and the timing of it - was perfect.
“It’s much harder to give a shit.”
I’ve contemplated cynicism over the years (at 57 I have many under my belt) and believe that “cynicism creeps into people when they get scared.” That’s been my personal experience and my experience of others when I observe them becoming skeptical or cynical. There’s some underlying fear, and cynicism enables us to creat distance between us and that which we fear.
Which is why, if we can address the fear, or at least change our relationship with it, we can move into action like the person you wrote about in your essay.
Great piece. 🙏
I’ll speak for myself here: cynicism is a way to avoid feeling shame. As I read about your subscriber who bought the block on a remote island, the first thing I felt rise up was shame. The second thing I felt rise up was the need to criticize this person.
It wasn’t until I acknowledged those feelings and let them cool off that I had room for curiosity. There’s so much I don’t know about permaculture and climate change. Like, all of it. There’s so much to explore and learn.
Spot on!!! Excellent!
Amen!
Amen! I think the general economic progress of the recent periods have made people complacent. They think we shouldn’t have problems and that other people shouldn’t be making mistakes or, god forbid, have flaws.
So many people think I’ve mastered my life, why can’t the others catch up?
This is so flawed on many levels. In fact, I have started to believe we thrive on problems, flaws and fixing them. That’s what humanity has been about and will always be about.