Holding the space for transition ideas, insights, possibilities, risks and opportunities sounds great, but when these are considered a threat, frighten or disrupt current thinking and business as
usual, the effort becomes somewhat of a 'suicide mission'. The idea that we might be able to expose obvious problems and hint at promising developments on a regular basis is very challenging, especially when the standard is 'reality'.
Not being compatible with the existing order (hard to believe An Inconvenient Truth was a 2006 production!) opens ones views up to ridicule, attack, criticism and on the odd occasion recognition or praise. But rarely an offer for help or support. It seems to be assumed
we will always be there...you know, just over there...a bit wierd or out of reach. It's as if we have a deformity, leprosy, suffer B.O, or mental illness, or are just seen as Crusaders that will one day stop rattling the cage or "raging against the machine".
Why carry on then, why do we keep up the fight? A good question that we are reassessing.
But if we have to think too hard about that question and answer, we are not getting the gravity of the situation. Looking into the future - just a bit - it is not a stretch to imagine increasing difficulties for our children and grandchildren. So why are we collectively not acting with more vigor and intent and why isn't there
more of us trying to do the real work?
Is it that we are intoxicated with our own privilege or importance, or simply can't imagine how the whole system might
unravel? ..."Of course, everything might unravel, we say... except for our street, our family, or our neighborhood." Really?
For those with the conscience and means we can only invite you to support the work of the real transition. For those with limited means, we know it is impossible to stay in limbo or on the edge forever; the costs and risks are too great when we're just a small fish in a big ocean - we eventually get wiped out. The sheer effort - the highs and lows - take their toll.
Struggling to do the right thing is draining in every way. Just think about this. For every person who makes the effort to use their bicycle or walk or go to some
extra effort to save some fuel...there is someone else eager to use that fuel to further their enterprise, power, ownership, assets and lifestyle.
The
same applies for money being donated to, invested in or spent with peddlers of advice, dreams, fake sustainability solutions and greenwash. You know, the ones that have kids on the TV advertisements talking about hydrogen, or big box retailers that claim to be 'carbon neutral'. And the government that forks out hundreds of millions of dollars to consultancies and advisors, who are prepared to tell them what they want to
hear. That money is gone-burger...and so are the non-renewable resources and energy we used up in the meantime.
To date, being on the edge and pointing at this relentlessly, has it seems largely been in vain. (Reality check, note to self) To be even blunter, these examples show how collectively we are sleep walking towards the edge, while there are those of us pointing at how close it really is. What more can we do, what do you need, how can we help and what can we say or write that might make a difference?
Please let us know what you think as we reassess the future of this publication - Transition Edge.
More feedback on the Last
Flight
Brilliant feedback keeps coming in, thanks to those who have made the effort. An insightful piece from Brent Thompson (Real Transition Leader
2022) analysed the weight of the plane and fuel...and boiled the whole exercise down to the trade-off between the weight of the craft, the weight of the fuel and the weight of the people and any luggage they take.
Simply, the more risk you are willing to take by shedding craft weight and fuel weight - the more people get to make the transition. At this stage, we'll leave it to your imagination about what that means for the Big Transition and invite you to join out Real Transition Leaders program, link to our website below.
The new game ought to be about how we can move on from this current reality - by backing new ideas and ways of transition, not just kicking back in our lazy-boy recliner or wielding power in political or corporate game-houses.
There is a lot of opportunity and good stuff happening but there needs to be much much more.
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This week's quote
“Courage is knowing what not to fear.”
– Plato
Grant Symons - The Transition Guy