University of Cumbria (UK) professor Jem Bendell, in his July 2018 occasional paper “Deep Adaptation: A Map for Navigating Climate Tragedy,” writes, “As researchers and reflective practitioners, we have an opportunity and obligation to not just do what is expected by our employers and the norms of our profession, but also to reflect on the relevance of our work within wider society” (see www.iflas.info). The more I learn about the climate catastrophe that is just beginning to unfold, the more my role as a “humanist” academic and “creative” writer comes to seem irrelevant, risible, even irresponsible. Right now, I’m working on a project about US poetry and film in the 1930s. Interesting stuff. But I have to say, when I read about the prospect of some major cities running out of water in the next couple of years, it puts things in perspective – and makes the work I do look pretty small.
And? . . . Well, seems like we ought to be using this brain-power to . . . to figure some things out. I don’t think writers or literature professors – or, indeed, geophysicists – are going to reverse or even end climate disruption. As the sorcerers in Leslie Marmon Silko’s Ceremony make clear, once the “witchery” is loosed upon the world, there is no calling it back. Certainly, she – and some of the “cli-fi” authors – have thought long and hard about what’s happening to the world. But academics are just as loath to think the unthinkable as anyone else. “Surely someone is doing something about that issue. . . . Somewhere.” But surely we can – we ought to – think about the ethical and cultural implications, whether we’re looking at social disruption, civilizational collapse, or outright extinction. Timothy Morton seems to be doing that, and he has some very interesting ideas that have influenced a lot of writers (incl. yrs truly). But reading his stuff – which is mercurial, to put it kindly – one gets the sense of a highly-paid cultural trend-setter for whom climate collapse is an idea. When he came to my campus, he was sporting a high-fashion, high-end jacket design that was inspired by his concept of “hyperobjects.” Ah - quel sens de la mode! Now, I enjoy a good satire, including self-satire. But I don’t think that was the point. He comes across as a thoughtful, soft-spoken, non-self-absorbed type. By the same token, he does not, let us say, exude a sense of urgency that a full appreciation of the moment (you know – that nagging feeling of imminent demise of everything you hold dear) might be expected to induce, at least to some extent. He says you have to immerse yourself in the disaster so deeply that it begins to seem funny. I agree, but at the same time, it’s hard to ignore the fact that there’s a c gun pointed at your head. Perhaps it’s a Zen thing. If you’ve given up all hope, why not collect your paycheck, burn a lot of jet fuel, and enjoy being a big fish in a small pond (or even a small fish, if you’ve got your immediate needs met)? Or why not meditate or medicate in order to stave off the willies? Why am I even writing about this bullshit? Nobody really cares about climate collapse, unless they can make a career out of it. Sure sure sure, they care about their kids and grandkids, but their kids and grandkids aren’t them. They may not even have met yet. At some deep level, those of us over 40 believe the worst will always be in the future. OK, maybe when we’re really old – but who wants to stick around then, right? Other than people who have already become really old, I mean. Don’t worry about things you have no control over, like climate change – and economic meltdown. The only people who obsess about things like that are neurotic, middle-aged, southern Irish Catholics. There are other reasons to care, though. For one, it seems to me that survival into the 2030s is going to take a lot of planning and forethought. Sure, people have faced the demise of their civilizations. But nobody has faced the near-simultaneous demise of all civilization at once. That seems to me like an important topic. Maybe the only one worth thinking about, under the circumstances. You may have heard about the idea of Near-Term Human Extinction (NTHE) – the idea that the human race will become extinct within a generation, or even a few years. I believe that’s wishful thinking. On the other end of the specturm, there is the possibility that human beings will survive beyond a few generations or even centuries and that some kind of new culture (not civilization) will emerge. Will there be art? Surely some kind. Perhaps a crash in the human population will initiate or accelerate some kind of human evolutionary leap – or at least mean fewer mouths to feed (as after the plague in medieval Europe). Or perhaps we’ll revert to something more like bronze-age tribalism. In any event, I’m convincing myself that, for someone interested in observing culture, curiosity is a sufficient reason to continue living. Author’s note: Please don’t hesitate to leave a comment on this or any post – you’ve read this far, after all! Blogs encourage half-baked ideas, so any advice to the chef is welcome – or just tell him he should stay out of the kitchen. I “moderate” comments (i.e., sift out any bots or trolls) but get them up pretty quickly.
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
June 2021
Kristin Prevallet Author/Editor
I'm a writer & teacher in Lawrence, Kansas who actually believes the scientists. I wrote a book of poems called Of Some Sky that seems to have something to do with all this. |