Derrick Jensen reports that the words "we're fucked" are "the most common words I hear spoken by any environmentalists anywhere." Jensen is identified by Wikipedia as a "radical environmentalist," and the article in which he is quoted, "Beyond Hope," appeared in Orion Magazine. A person commenting on one of my earlier blog posts gave me the reference.
The point of Jensen's article is that it's good to "give up hope," since Jensen pretty much equates "hope" with "false hope." It's hope, he claims, that "keeps us chained to the system, the conglomerate of people and ideas and ideals that is causing the destruction of the Earth."
The possible "destruction of the Earth" isn't what I think of as the main worry, but I do think that our destructive activities, directed against the Earth, and against the natural systems that support us, put human civilization in extreme peril.
If "hope" means waiting for some external reality to make it all better, to solve our problems for us, then I'm with Jensen. That's not going to work.
But do I think we can change our destructive behaviors? Do I think we can change them before time runs out?
I do. I think there's a chance. I hope so!
Image Credit:
https://orionmagazine.org/article/beyond-hope/
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