Well, this is going to be a new kind of post. Mainly because it's something I want to mentally work on, and I figured actually talking about it here might be productive. Maybe this is something I could look back on and get inspiration from if I'm feeling down. Just trying it and seeing what sticks.
I...am a doomer. At least I think I am. Here's what I know. I do not have a very optimistic view of world politics or United States politics. I do not have an optimistic view of climate change. And I haven't challenged these thoughts in so long because I figured that there was no way I was going to change them. I'd almost liken it to throwing stones at a monolithic wall. Sure, it might feel good in the short term, but it's not going to achieve anything in the long term.
Simply put, I thought there was no way I could change my outlook. Some things are set in stone, and I figured the quicker I could accept that, the better.
Now, obviously, I have watched some videos on the topic just to know what I'm dealing with. Cause that's what I do. It's the only thing I knew what to do. And one of the uniting things about dealing with doomerism boils down to two things. The first is trying to find meaning in life for yourself. This one's obvious. It's what Friedrich Nietzsche, the father of nihilism, basically said. Create meaning for yourself where there is none in the world.
It's the second thing that always tripped me up. And that's hope. Hope is...well, it's a scary word. It's fragile. A little keeps you going, but it's so easy to break. That's what the recent 2024 election taught me, and it crushed us all as a result. Or even news about that one senator stalling the Big Beautiful Bill. It's hard to know where to place your hope, because you don't know if it's going to be legitimate or a carrot on a stick.
Guess I figured I got sick of having my hopes crushed all the time, so I learned just to stop caring. Which isn't fair or healthy, and I acknowledge that. So maybe this can...well, I guess give something to anybody reading this. Even if it's just a little. Hope is like any other emotion. It can be manipulated and soul-crushing. But...it's also the only thing a lot of us have. All I can say is perhaps placing your faith and hope into something or somebody that's actually worth it. Maybe not a political party, but an activist. One of those mobs protesting all the crap the current administration has done. Or the scientists who are working tirelessly and have figured out a myriad of ways to deal with the climate crisis.
Doomerism is easy. Cause you don't have to place your hope in something and have it be crushed. But that doesn't mean it's the right thing to do, since just dreading every day isn't living either. Maybe it's only a question of where to place your hope. Putting it in the right people and all. Now, I don't have all the answers, but I will be putting this out there at least. It's all I can hope for.
