Here's a gratitude game I play with myself.
I pick a modern object and ruminate over how much history went into making it possible. Take this rig: the metal components come from tens of thousands of years of metal-craft. The paints and rubbers come from synthetic versions of natural dyes and fibres that cost hundreds of thousands of lives to industrialize. Then there's the engineering, and the distribution challenges...
We live on the shoulders of so many.
And we take *such* gifts for granted.
Relatedly, I quite loved the latest Past Present Future, which argues that "Anthropocene" is the wrong word for the era we're moving through, with which to confront its pressing challenges.
The problem isn't *humanity*; it's a form of human organization that's lately caused terrible outcomes. Drawing from Hobbes, the host proposes the "Leviacene" as a more fitting description of this moment.
An excellent reflection on differences between inherent & constructed crises.
https://pca.st/episode/2625f60c-ccb6-4706-aab2-256d2b630846
@MLClark Wonderful talk. Yes, it does seem that states and corporate entities are the problem and need to be remade if we are to save ourselves.
Oh, I'm glad you found it so. Vocabulary can be quite powerful for articulating the challenges we face, and giving us a new way to move through them.
@MLClark Thinking of them as leviathans is a great way to change the conversation from, "We individuals humans need to change our nature in order to save our world" to "What we have created is no longer working for us. Let's change that creation and build something that does." It is actually a very hopeful idea.