A 100,000 people go on strike to call for action against climate change. Maybe there were another 100 million with their hearts in the same place who couldn’t join. Maybe another 500 million who don’t know about the climate strikes but have their hearts in the same place with respect to protecting the environment. Maybe we have around a billion of such players around the world. What about the other 6 billion. Maybe they don’t know that we are at a critical point. Maybe they know but do not bother. The ones actively trying to bring about a change in the circumstances of the planet by participating in strikes, voting, eating habits, commute habits, and a plethora of other things in their lives on an individual level. But even they would have their own priorities regarding their work as a means of sustaining them and their families, their leisure, amongst other things. And here we start to play a zero-sum game in our heads about our contributions to the well-being of the planet for humans. For it is a zero-sum game, but with 7 billion players. But the 7 billion players aren’t playing the game with the same end goal. Why such a fundamental difference in the mindsets for something as fundamental and important as the only planet that sustains life?
The people on strikes are bringing about awareness, a change in perception, a call for action. That means a solution stands. Does it? Is it the mix of renewable energy sources, change of individual habits and attitudes, sustainable transport, etc.? Is it not the same approach of capitalism, improving lives previously by exploiting natural resources on a credit-based system, on the belief that “tomorrow, we will have more than today”, only now its improving lives in a sustainable manner. But the very nature of our system is that it needs to generate income in the process of the change. But maybe it’s the goal that matters, the end goal of everyone living sustainably once and for all at some point. That’s why it is important to call out for people, on an individual and the state level to take action. But why such a fundamental difference in the mindsets for something as fundamental and important as the only planet that sustains life? Is individuality at fault again? Different experiences? Why aren’t the 7 billion people on the same page for something as fundamental and important as the only planet that sustains life? How can it be ensured that the 7 billion players are on the same page for something as fundamental and important as the only planet that sustains life? The mindset should converge with the new coming generation because of the existential threat they would remain exposed to throughout their lifetimes, but that is not a fact. Individuality would come into play again.
It is then imperative to act on bringing every young mindset on the same page of the game, making available to them the full story, regardless of which part of the planet or the circumstances they’re at. Everything else would be a optimism towards a different result by doing the same things.