Living without sight invariably forces blind people to tune into their other senses. For me, this means focusing on what I hear. When interacting with other people, or even watching a YouTube clip, I automatically listen to a speaker's tone of Voice, hesitations, repeated words and phrases, and any extraneous sounds that would suggest what they are doing. The result is that I focus less on the moment-by-moment messages and more on the changes occurring all around me.
Lately, I have become increasingly aware that people are afraid. They sense a coming change, a threat that is too dark and frightening to name, and this makes them cling all the more tightly to the immediate issues that can distract them. I am not equipped with the scientific evidence to predict these changes, but I can ring alarm bells and call for people to pay attention.
The world we live in is vulnerable. It is a conglomeration of structures that have been invented and developed to serve us, but they are as flimsy as a house of cards. Around the year 2000, we feared that the world as we knew it would fall apart because of the Y2K bug in our computer systems. Turns out, that danger was trifling in comparison to what is now at stake. The current threat is not about losing track of dates or records. This is about humanity succumbing to its own destructive practices with regard to the planets resources.
It is easy to ignore the extinction of species, melting of the ice caps, loss of topsoil in agricultural regions, poisoning of the waters, contamination of the air, and other natural disasters when our minds are fixated on day-to-day problems like crime, petty bureaucracy, and whether or not your neighbour has mowed his lawn. The fact is, every day limitations are far simpler to bear than the big questions about how we will survive the next 100 years on Earth. The current coronavirus pandemic is forcing us to wipe away the mist on our window, however, because global disasters don’t happen for no reason. At last, serious conversations are being held about what is to blame. I believe it is useless trying to isolate and individual or country for this, since that would amount to looking backwards and distracting ourselves further. We must rather heed the warning that our systems are in adequate to prevent further disasters of this nature, and begin to build alternative ways of living.
1st to go must be our dependence on non-local production of food. During the Second World War, people in Britain and the United States survived the disruption in distribution of food by growing their own produce in what were called “Victory Gardens“. Following their example, many people today are learning the basics of growing their own food in their backyards. This is a good start because it leads automatically to community building. If you grow tomatoes and courgettes, and your neighbour produces eggs and spinach, there is a good chance you will exchange your XS pickings, become friends and look out for each other.
The second thing that will have to go is centralised living spaces and business or industrial hubs. The existing model that requires people to travel vast distances each day just to reach the office or factory is unsustainable. Not only does it consume excessive amounts of fuel and release carbon into the atmosphere, but it is damaging to family and community life. Not to mention what happens when a virus enters a densely-populated Area. If people are to survive and thrive, there must be places for them to live and grow. Of course, certain hi-value products will still need to be manufactured in and distributed from central locations, but the advent of online communication and video conferencing will drastically reduce the need for workers to travel on mass to and from their workplaces each day.
We will see Home and work come together in a blend of the traditional small town and virtual office. Already, a model that incorporates a farm into the middle of a housing estate or city is being rolled out in several first world countries. This promises to be very good for our children, who will be able to enjoy natural surroundings and safe, nurturing relationships within their community. Living closer to the land will also make us more mindful of recycling waste back into the soil as compost to improve our food. More nutritious food will mean greater resistance to viruses. Less travel over vast distances will mean reduced likelihood of transferring dangerous organisms to environments where they can run rampant..
If this all sounds idealistic or impossible, it is only because we haven’t yet grasped the fact that our present model for life is about to fall apart. We have no choice here. Nature has turned the tables on us. All we can do is adapt as best we can. This transition to a new normal cannot simply be an adjustment of the way we do our grocery shopping. It must be a complete paradigm shift based on what we would want to retain when the present system collapses. Let us consider the question, What can I take with me when none of this is here to support me any longer? What gives my life meaning apart from the system that provides me with an income?
It is time to wipe away our illusion of safety and peer into the future that faces us. Instead of seeing only the threat of loss, however, we can look for the promise of hope. The Earth itself has endured through dozens of human catastrophies, so it is to the Earth that we must look for our safety and security. One thing is for sure, Human beings are adaptable. Therefore, let us exercise our imaginations, moving forward with intention, courage and focus.