371: Margaret Klein Salamon, part 1: Become the Hero Humanity Needs
Margaret is the Executive Director at The Climate Mobilization. Writing Facing the Climate Emergency brought her to me.
Her psychology background leads her to approach the climate psychologically, which I appreciate and consider missing. Our internal resistance, fears, and emotions that we don’t like facing seem our biggest challenges to act. Of course, more research and education help, but we crossed the threshold of knowing enough to act long ago. We aren’t acting not out of ignorance but out of emotion and the skills to manage them.
She writes about facing our fears, which leads ultimately to how rewarding acting on so great a challenge feels. People don’t get how rewarding acting on our values feels. We both struggled to describe the ineffable emotional and social rewards of stewardship, but I think you’ll hear the magnitude of it.
I think we both hope you hear from us enough incentive and inspiration to devote yourself to something so huge, even if just to start getting serious. In my experience, the more you act, the more you want to act. You’ll wish you started earlier.
I don’t know how it sounds to others, but exploring apocalyptic possibilities—I believe you’ll be glad you explored them, as we do.
Close to home, how many books and movies have you come across that eerily accurately foretold the course of this pandemic. If you haven’t found any, there are plenty. Many people want to prepare for such outcomes with stockpiles of food, weapons, and bunkers in New Zealand.
I prefer to prevent these outcomes. Margaret focuses on action, as do I. Action can prevent some of the greatest suffering. It creates motivation, meaning, and purpose.
We can change the trajectory we’re on. And we’ll love it.