#160: What We Do Now

The results of the recent US elections represent a massive blow to the future of our planet. The fight for equality and all forms of social justice have also suffered a huge setback. So, what do we do now?

Support the podcast over on Patreon!

(image source: Lucas Favre via Unsplash) 

I outlined the mission and values of Check Your Thread in the following episode:

• Ep. #71: Making Personal Manifestos with Kim Witten

Episode transcript:

So at time of recording it’s been about a week since hearing the news of the results of the US election. How are you feeling? If you were happy with the result, you’ve basically helped press fast forward on the climate crisis and this episode is not aimed at you. If you’re feeling devastated, awful, numb, broken or disappointed, and you need some help working through it, please stick around. I want to share with you MY response to the question ‘What do we do now?’ 

Today’s episode is not the usual type of CYT episode. There’s no intro, no upbeat music, no sustainability wins or fails. I’m getting straight to business. If this happens to be your first time listening to this podcast, I obviously hope you get something from this episode, because otherwise I wouldn’t be bothering making it. But please know that you need to listen to some of the others to actually get a flavour of what we’re about. 

So what IS this about. This is basically the episode that I need to hear right now. I have a voice and a platform, not big ones, but I do have them so I want to use them to support anyone feeling like I do right now. 

Like probably the majority of CYT heads, but certainly not all, I am absolutely devastated about the results of the US election. For so many reasons. I am utterly terrified for what it means for the planet and basically everything and everyone that lives on it. At the very point in history when we could use empathy and a broader consideration for the world and its people more than ever before, the opposite happened. It was a win for hatred, intolerance, rascism, climate denial, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, islamophobia.

It was a loss for anyone who isn’t pale, male, stale and wealthy, but also really anyone or anything living on this planet, even if they don’t realise it yet. 

If you’re in the US, my heart goes out to you because you’ll feel the effects more immediately, of course. But we all will be suffering the repercussions in some form, before long. From the racist misogynists in your town feeling newly emboldened to spout their vile beliefs with impunity, to the inevitable speeding up of climate change thanks to more support given to fossil fuel extraction.

If you’re heartbroken and terrified like me, I know you know that you’re not alone. If you’re currently feeling like you want to hide under a blanket and do nothing, please know that there’s no rush to feel anything else.

But personally, I’m coming out of that phase, and I’m feeling a different energy now. And I’ve definitely seen others with this same, eff-it all, the gloves are off evergy too. That energy, all energy, is powerful and I want to harness and direct it somewhere useful. 

So I’ve started by going back to my vision and values, the ones that I outlined in episode 71. They inform every action I take. 

My vision is this:

A world where the impact on the environment is factored into every decision.

Well, clearly we can no longer hope for help on the governmental and big business scale, in the US at least. 

And my values are:

• Limiting my contribution to climate change where possib