Hope and Change

I have long since dealt and struggled with the idea of suffering, and by extension, despair. I thought it interesting how this chapter of Bauman opened on despair, drawing some parallel between the four noble truths of suffering in Buddhism. Within ecological reasoning and understanding the notion of ecological crisis as it applies to the human condition I was always confused how people were aware the end would come at some point yet still pushed for sustainable practice and environmentally friendly living. They seemed to not be paying attention to the larger issues at hand or atleast playing around the edges of the actual problem. I felt this even when we went to see the hunks of ice and we learned that the weather was volatile and within human existence we had merely gotten lucky with such developments. Within Bauman’s excerpt we can see that people (Hamilton) believe that accepting this inevitability actually empowers the movement more. Hamilton claims that it’s the optimism in the face of these mounting issues that comes from a very deep and specific denial. Despair is the recognition of the world’s issues and awareness of the fact that you can’t change the situation, but you can re-visualize the situation. Sanders then goes on to explain the situation in a way that shows if you work on a personal close level with the world you can perhaps make more change and do more good than if you had tried to take on all of the world’s problems at once. This is actually how I view my own personal mindset as well, I’m very much either a negative or positive sphere person and that allows me to be happier than I otherwise would. Until I started viewing things in a close interpersonal positive effect way I was more prone to anxiety, bad moods, and rumination-eqsue thoughts. In the wake of this change, which was largely assisted by my passion for daoism and psychology. At the core of this, psychology is what actually affects your quality of life. In the book we are urged to do what is right rather than what is popular. This too is accurate because doing what’s right often means doing things without credit, praise, or any sort of recognition from another person. This sort of behavior can become deeply validating in it’s own way, which can empower you to stick by your own choices, as it has me. By pursuing what is moral, ethical, and right for the world can be done on a very small scale, whether it be within a friendship, the workplace, or even a construct as nebulous as one’s community. This can instill an increased level of hope in one’s self and of the world, but also gives hopes to those who are effected and moved by the action itself. Though this hope is not grand, according to the book, it is achievable and it can bring in a legitamate form of happiness. And honestly, I have to attest to that.

35 thoughts on “Hope and Change

  1. I had a friend say something like that to me a few days ago. She said just seeing someone stick to their morals, taking someone’s water bottle and recycling it later rather than letting them throw it out, really stuck with her and made her way more aware of her actions and impact.

    I forget this so often and let my mind race with fear about not doing enough. I think that gentle reminder that setting habits for yourself not only empowers you but also others around you, is something I have to find a way of mentally integrating more.

  2. I sometimes think religion at its best is queer, in all the senses Bauman defined earlier. At its best. But when it’s bad it’s awful. Molly Ellen, are you reading this? What do you think?

  3. You’re statement, “At the core of this, psychology is what actually affects your quality of life,” reminded me of what someone once said to me about Buddhism: Buddhism does not attempt to change the conditions of suffering, but rather, one’s perspective on the conditions.

    It was said in light of a history of Buddhist leaders being welcomed by political rulers (like kings & dictators) because they seemed to teach compliance, non-action, acceptance of present conditions etc., and were thus submissive to totalitarian rule. But it brings up to me the double-edged sword of despair and the work to shift perspectives. I am wary of this issue remaining discursive, i.e., we talk but don’t walk. Despair to my ear implies immobility: a complete dissolution of motivation, resolve, commitment. At what point can our despair become action? How do we use despair as a motivating force to change the conditions that cause despair?

    In terms of Buddhism, I think the teachings of mindfulness, the emphasis the present moment, and the tenet of compassion, are compatible with activism. In contemporary strands of Buddhism,so-called socially-engaged Buddhism and activist organizations like the US-based Buddhist Action Coalition have been working to enact real political change based on the dharma.

  4. Kudos to “Until I started viewing things in a close interpersonal positive effect way I was more prone to anxiety, bad moods, and rumination-eqsue thoughts.” This is something I struggle with all the time! “Doing what’s right often means doing things without credit, praise, or any sort of recognition from another person” also had me nodding. Out of all the posts, this one is the most convincingly positive!

  5. “Hope and Change” are inherently positive once being read and said. The ability to be able to keep that positivity through cycles of recognition and action is beautiful, especially when in the confines of humility and lack of want from others (praise or otherwise).

  6. دیزل ژنراتور، یک وسیله‌ی تولید برق است که با تبدیل انرژی مکانیکی موتور به انرژی الکتریکی توسط ژنراتور کار می کند. برای تولید برق، یک موتور دیزل به یک ژنراتور متصل می‌شود. قدرت چرخشی موتور، که به اسب بخار اندازه‌گیری می‌شود، تأثیر زیادی بر روی کارایی دیزل ژنراتور دارد. با انتقال نیروی تولید شده توسط موتور به ژنراتور، دیزل ژنراتور، برق با ظرفیت مورد نیاز را تولید کرده و به صورت کیلوولت‌آمپر، خروجی خود را تأمین می‌کند.

  7. خرید چرخ خیاطی ژانومه، سرمایه‌گذاری خوبی برای هر کسی است که علاقه به دوخت و خیاطی دارد. با قابلیت‌ها و ویژگی‌های منحصر به فرد خود، چرخ خیاطی ژانومه به شما امکان پردازش سریع‌تر و دقیق‌تر پارچه‌ها را می‌دهد. انتخاب مناسبی برای افراد حرفه‌ای و آماتوری که به دنبال دستیابی به کیفیت بالا هستند

  8. روغن هیدرولیک با برند هیدرومکس سپاهان بهترین روغن هیدرولیکی در ایران است که برای انواع دستگاههای پرس هیدرولیکی، آسانسور و بالابر، ماشین های برش سی ان سی و …. مناسب است و با بهترین قیمت در دیزل یدک به فروش می رسید . این روغن از پارس بابک نفت پارس هم با کیفیت تر است
    روغن هیدرولیک 68

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