The big question–once you let the mess of a warming planet penetrate your consciousness–is, “What should I DO to transform the situation, protect the world?” There are many answers to this question and I will make some suggestions soon. But, before I start naming meaningful actions, it is important to understand the nature of the human mind so we can stay focused and respond strategically in the midst of a society in denial. We should develop a working knowledge of how and when we ourselves might slip in and out of denial to become consistent and effective actors. In my last post, I talked about the “types” of denial as identified by Mary Pipher in her book The Green Boat. Today, I’ll name denial’s most slippery points–the places in our mind where even the determined among us can tilt into willful ignorance.
Danger zones in the field of denial include: perception, attention, memory, and values. The fact is, human perception is always flawed. The limits of space and time restrain our point of view. It is impossible for us to absorb everything happening in a given moment. Further, imperfect senses capture reality and electrical impulses travel through our body to our brain. There, events may or may not make it to the level of consciousness. What’s worse, if we are awake to an event, our minds immediately categorize and making meaning to evaluate our relationship to the experience, our need to act. At any point in the process, reality is at risk of distortion and we can misjudge the situation. This potential for mistaken or incomplete perceptions feeds climate change denial because we rarely in our day see planetary life at risk or the world around us as changing. When everything is business as usual, it is easy to slip into thinking the climate is benign.
One of the gifts of the East to the West is the daily 20 to 30 minute practice of stopping activities, calming the mind and body, looking deeply into reality, to take in the truth of this moment as accurately as possible. Looking in this way it is possible to see the complex workings of Earth and our connection to the whole. Raising the thermostat in winter doesn’t simply make me warm, it burns more coal at the power plant, adds C02 to the atmosphere, traps a little more of the sun’s warmth, causes ocean waters to expand, and floods coastal cities. This is a fuller picture of reality, a more accurate perception. Meditation is a technique for short-circuiting denial.
Attention is a component of denial that comes and goes in all of us. It is impossible to be focused on global warming in every waking moment; were it possible, life would be too depressing. But, it is vital we bring our attention to the issue at regular intervals in order to sustain healing actions. Twenty-six-hundred years ago, the Buddha spoke of Right Diligence–awakening again and again to reality and the opportunities before us so we can choose skillful actions.
Memories are easy places to misstep into states of denial. In my childhood, world resources were abundant. Forests and the wildlife that depended upon them seemed endless. The ocean was vast and inexhaustible. Summer storms came and went without event. Corn was knee-high by the fourth-of-July. But memories distort perception of this moment; if we believe them instead of the reality of now, we steep ourselves in denial and disregard the needs of today. From my teacher, Vietnamese Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, I learned to practice present moment mindfulness on and off the meditation cushion–a powerful antidote to living in the past or being swept into worries about the future.
Finally, the values of today’s American society practically shove us into denial about the workings of the world. Culture presses upon each of us to burry and deny our pain (no doubt this is at the root of society’s escalating problems with obesity, addiction, and suicide). It conveys in a myriad of ways that each of us is separate from everyone else; our success or failure is completely our own making. This thinking drives many to claim, “I am free to do whatever I want”–an expression mixing empowerment with selfishness and irresponsibility. American leaders have gone so far as to chide citizens into shopping as an act of patriotism. The trouble is, when we ignore our inner knowing and discomfort, believe we are separate from human and non-human communities that support our lives, think we have a right to do anything we please, and consume more and more material goods, we deny our relationship to and responsibility for the whole and destroy life. Fortunately, spiritual traditions worldwide share a common ethic. If we turn toward the purest spiritual teachings, wisdoms that survived the ages, we will transcend denial of our responsibilities for one another and grow to become powerful actors.
In my next post, I’ll share examples of alternative values from the Buddhist tradition, values that transcend patterns of denial.
