Sitting on the Edge of the Cliff
Hello fellow travellers,
I was quite taken with something I heard Wendy say on a recording, that engaging with the field of Positive Deep Adaptation means learning how to sit on the edge of the cliff. This same recording then later included a conversation around the use of metaphor, enquiring as to whether it helps a difficult conversation, or enables further avoidance of the actual difficulty, with the notion then expressed that both are possible, depending on the individual’s tendencies.
But I wondered then if it would be helpful for us to use the metaphor of sitting on the edge of the cliff as a conversation opener into expressing in actual terms: what is on the other side of the cliff? In other words, describe your fears.
For me, currently, the fears that live on the other side of the cliff are:
- Inwardly, being so overwhelmed by the amount of aspects of life that are changed (in a collapse scenario) that my sanity is knocked and I become ineffective in my own life, and also therefore unable to look after anyone or anything else.
- Outwardly, that the collapse of systems and ensuing lack of resources bring out the worst in people, and that a ‘me first’ mentality takes over and becomes the predominant feature of human nature.
- In a larger sense, that those who live are only able to scrabble around looking for the bare minimum of survival, and there is no longer any time or place for culture, and the nurturing of the true human spirit.
In describing these, I was quite surprised to find that these more nuanced pictures are the greater fears for me than the more obvious ones: death, especially painful death – of self and others, and the destruction of the earth.
But also, the fears I have described feel, for me, more able to be worked on, which is already part of their being turned into a medicine, and a way to continue to be in life in this time where we face such huge prospects.
Lastly, this leaves me with another idea, as well as describing what is on the other side of the cliff through the lense of fear, we could also experience the same metaphor in a different way and describe it through the lense of love; what keeps you living, why are you in life, what do you walk towards?
I would love to hear from any of you fellow cliff-sitters who feel to share your responses: what do you fear? What do you love?
Vaike Neeme
My name is Vaike and I am a 46 year old woman, living in Sydney Australia with my husband and my 19 year old son. In the first half of my adult life I was devoted to theatre-making, in view of cultivating the human spirit. In later life I have sought this same impulse off the stage, through education, activism and now through spiritual community. I have always been progressive and left-leaning in my politics, and my 'green consciousness' has grown organically and steadily. COP21, Paris in 2015 was a turning point, and since then I have taken on board that it is 'too late' to 'save the earth', in the sense of coming back to any 'normal'. The crisis this catalysed in me led me to Deep Ecology, and to taking my environmental consciousness inward. Happening on the original PDA paper by Jem, on the back of the emergence of Greta Thunberg's voice reignited a sense of panic in me, and for the first couple of weeks after this time I was just about incapacitated. I would describe it best as shock at the realisation of how fragile the framework on which I base my existence is, but this soon grew to being most wary of how human nature will reveal itself, under such pressure eg. even more terrifying that famine or fire could be my own next door neighbour, in a situation of resource scarcity. A further layer then, beyond my personal situation, would be the tragedy of human nature itself, falling so far from what it is it its most beautiful truth. Dedication to this beauty, through my outer and inner life, is now my area of work and my solace.
On the other side of the cliff, for me, would be (in no particular order):
– Deep losses of human solidarity and mutual help, particularly for people outside one’s immediate circle, due to numbness in the face of generalised death and intense suffering;
– Oceans empty of life, rainforests like the Amazon gone forever, the landscapes I love devastated;
– The widespread growth and generalisation of slavery, tyranny and fascism, as a result of crumbling democratic systems and counterpowers;
– My feeling unable to live up to the moral and ethical standards I treasure, due to material/social circumstances making that impossible;
– Geoengineered skies bound to remain forever gray – to avoid the thermal bounce that would happen otherwise (this is likely pre-collapse);
…
What keeps me going:
– My loved ones
– The sensation that actions can be taken, together, to avoid at least some of the items above
– Thriving ecosystems
– Inspiring people I wish to emulate
Love that you listened to David’s great interview of me, Vaike, nice to see this insight here.
For me in answer to your thoughtful questions,
What keeps me living is as I mentioned, coffee – and then after that, after I get out of bed and drag myself away from my miserable thoughts, its my connection to all the wonderful complex and enthusiastic people in my life – and those who are currently less than enthusiastic, and value our connection. Specifically, that looks like constant outreach – enthusiastic engagement in Deep Adaptation events/zoom calls, facebook comments, twitter responses, and phone calls – lots of long phone calls. Some in person visits, but less possible these days than ever before.
So for now, while I have moved away from being a “worker” and am not employed by a company, just doing my own stuff, the answer to “why are you in life” is to be curious about what is possible, and I almost never walk away from opportunities to connect – so the third question – what do you walk towards – relationship. I always open the door. And if people have closed it, or want to close it – mean comments, anger – I am working very hard to find ways to open the doors and deal with conflict, I think this is our main work at this time – to learn to deal with differences in worldviews and beliefs without wanting to destroy others or convert them
So as a fellow cliff-sitter, what I fear is not being able to make connections and build relationship, I do envisage a time when email/internet/phone is not so available, its already actually happening – with the pandemic of course, and even with something like Brexit, its not so easy to phone someone in the UK from Europe anymore, for purely political and not technical reasons.
What I love is that new thing that happens when two humans communicate. That creative force which I believe is the evolutionary energy — some might call it God, I call it curiosity and Change – when I lean into relationships, and really listen, and reply with Heart and openness, something magic happens. I love that. Vistas open, and dancing along the cliff becomes kind of fun, because friends of mine are finding ways up and down the cliff, all the time!