Down to the wire : confronting climate collapse / David - Index of
Down to the wire : confronting climate collapse / David - Index of
Down to the wire : confronting climate collapse / David - Index of
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millennial hope S 171<br />
Maslow (1971) traced <strong>the</strong> development <strong>of</strong> a full-fl edged human<br />
being from “infantile self-gratifi cation” through various stages,<br />
culminating (for a very few) in transcendence from self. Unfortunately,<br />
<strong>the</strong> <strong>the</strong>ories and empirical data from psychological research<br />
are <strong>to</strong>o <strong>of</strong>ten applied <strong>to</strong> manipulate people, aiming <strong>to</strong> keep <strong>the</strong>m<br />
infantilized for commercial or political reasons. We need something<br />
akin <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> Hippocratic Oath <strong>to</strong> discipline <strong>the</strong> application<br />
<strong>of</strong> psychological research, as well as clear standards <strong>to</strong> guide its use<br />
for human development and growth, not exploitation.<br />
In <strong>the</strong> immediate future we will need <strong>the</strong> help <strong>of</strong> psychologists<br />
and o<strong>the</strong>r social scientists <strong>to</strong> develop and apply better indica<strong>to</strong>rs <strong>of</strong><br />
human well-being. In 1998, for example, <strong>the</strong> king <strong>of</strong> Bhutan stated<br />
<strong>the</strong> objective <strong>of</strong> using “Gross National Happiness” instead <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
standard measure <strong>of</strong> gross domestic product (Layard, 2005, p. 77).<br />
This sounds radical, but only refl ects what we already know in our<br />
bones: that our well-being, both physical and emotional, grows<br />
out <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> depth <strong>of</strong> our connections <strong>to</strong> each o<strong>the</strong>r, <strong>to</strong> nature, and<br />
<strong>to</strong> our ances<strong>to</strong>rs, and from <strong>the</strong> faith that we can prevail through<br />
<strong>the</strong> trials <strong>of</strong> an unknown future.<br />
The evidence from psychology and his<strong>to</strong>ry, unsurprisingly, tells<br />
us that under duress human behavior ranges from very bad <strong>to</strong><br />
very good. So what makes <strong>the</strong> difference? One answer lies at <strong>the</strong><br />
level <strong>of</strong> cultural narrative—<strong>the</strong> s<strong>to</strong>ries and myths by which we<br />
understand larger realities. In Neil Postman’s words, such “s<strong>to</strong>ries<br />
are suffi ciently pr<strong>of</strong>ound and complex <strong>to</strong> <strong>of</strong>fer explanations <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
origins and future <strong>of</strong> a people; s<strong>to</strong>ries that construct ideals, prescribe<br />
rules <strong>of</strong> conduct, specify sources <strong>of</strong> authority, and, in doing<br />
all this, provide a sense <strong>of</strong> continuity and purpose” (Postman, 1999,<br />
p. 101). Whatever <strong>the</strong> s<strong>to</strong>ry, as Postman puts it, “human beings cannot<br />
live without <strong>the</strong>m. We are burdened with a kind <strong>of</strong> consciousness<br />
that insists on our having a purpose” (p. 101). The narratives<br />
that animated <strong>the</strong> Enlightenment, for example, included <strong>the</strong> idea<br />
<strong>of</strong> a benign God, <strong>the</strong> possibility <strong>of</strong> rational inquiry, <strong>the</strong> intention<br />
<strong>to</strong> use science <strong>to</strong> improve people’s lives, <strong>the</strong> faith in progress, <strong>the</strong>