1. A Core Principle for A Hope Fueled Narrative
Hey there!
In my last issue I left with the question: “What would happen if you and I got serious about solving the climate crisis?”
Since then, I've had a little time to think about this question, and have squarely arrived at the conclusion that I don't really know where to begin. In my mind, I assumed that answers would be relatively easy to find. After all, if we drew parallels between our climate crisis to that of countries on the brink of war, it would naturally follow that the next step would be to quickly galvanize the masses into action. Narratives would be written, songs would be sung, and flags would be raised. Of course, this falls into the hands of global activism, of which we are in no shortage of.
The question that follows, then, is what can the masses do once academics, experts, and politicians have gotten us riled up into action? Unlike a war, there isn't a conscription for those willing to dedicate their lives for the greater good. And as it stands, most of us on board with the economic shift that will come with our endeavors towards carbon neutrality will admit that the enemy is very much invisible — even more so for those who have yet to experience it first hand.
Sure, we've seen the symptoms of climate change through videos and photographs, seen the data from charts and graphs, and listened to various anecdotes from social media, but until it impacts us directly, it is incredibly easy to place it out of mind.
That itself is the challenge of this delicate balancing act. Too little symptoms of climate change — like wild fires, floods, and unprecedented snow storms — and we forget the problem exists. Worse still, it gives grounds for politicians to undermine its importance. On the other hand, too many symptoms can lead to hopelessness and despair. And I suspect that if the majority of us are experiencing symptoms first hand, it's too late.
The Hope Fueled Narrative
In this particular juncture in time, Christians have been rocked with the waves of Ravi Zacharias’ sexual misconduct. This has given grounds for many outside the Christian faith to label Christians as hypocrites, with inconsistent belief systems and flawed doctrines.
I must admit my own dismay to the whole revelation because my own faith has been informed by the many teachings of Ravi Zacharias’ ministry. I think news like this shake us and has a propensity to loosen our faith because if our leaders are unable to live up to their belief system, where does that leave us?
I bring this scandal to mind because it reminded me of how easy it is to turn to reforms in policy to ensure things like this never happen again, which in itself sets ourselves up for the same hope and downfall. When Trump pulled out of the Paris Climate Change Agreement in 2017, I recall feeling the same dismay and sense of defeat. It was overwhelming, nauseating almost. It made me feel like every effort that I was putting in as an individual was futile; the guilt I felt from taking out food, for instance, felt so misplaced. If the president of the largest economy in the world didn't see the issues of our climate crisis, where did that leave the global public?
But in the the same way it would be silly for me to renounce my faith simply because of Ravi's sexual misconduct, so too would it be senseless to give up hope in climate action simply because a political party decided that climate action was not in their best interests.
So when thinking about what a hope fueled narrative looks like for climate change, I have not forgotten the many ways by which humans will be the biggest obstacle in combating the biggest crisis of our generation. But like Christianity, I believe that the shift towards climate action will be fueled not by a single leader, company, or an organization, but by underlying shared principles.
What are these shared principles? While I certainly do not have an exhaustive list, I do believe one of them is the principle of delayed gratification.
A Cultural Shift Begins With Delayed gratification
The principle of delayed gratification can best be illustrated by the marshmallow test.
It's one of the psychological tests that correlates with success in life. In the video, you get kids that are offered a marshmallow, which they can have now, and a promise for another one if they can wait until the adult returns.
As adults watching the video, we have the gift of experience and foresight. Two marshmallows are certainly better than one: the child's 'investment' of his or her time gets yields a 100% return on investment. I'm no economist, but when this principle is applied to the climate crisis, I daresay the returns will be favorable, not just with a more stable environment but also with a new cultural ethos.
That's the thing about sustainability. It's not simply about economic models, or carbon emission charts. It's not about the latest fancy products, or the brightest, shiniest innovations in the room.
At its core, it's a question of whether our collective global efforts reflect our disposition towards instant gratification — represented by, say, unabated use of fossil fuels and economic models that prop up the economy now, or if it reflects a posture of delayed gratification — taking the more expensive, slower (and more painful) route so that we can enjoy greater stability and harmony in the future.
What will the decade by decade analysis of our performance reveal? Will we be able to delay our gratification for the future?
What's next?
What all of us want out of this climate crisis, through the ups and downs of the various disasters, is a hopeful end to our collective story. An end that illuminates our existence and turns our gaze away from the dread of catastrophes towards the hope of what we had best to offer.
What I want to achieve with Our Green Offering is a deeper understanding of the best sustainable economic development has to offer, but I've come to realize I am unable to do that without first considering the guiding principles that will govern transition.
As such, the next issue of Our Green Offering will examine why climate action is Christian action. I’m looking forward to reading and sharing my thoughts with all of you.
Til then!
Daniel Teyogu