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<p><font size="+2" face="Calibri"><i><b>March</b></i></font><font
size="+2" face="Calibri"><i><b> ll, 2024</b></i></font></p>
<font face="Calibri"></font><i>[ The Conversation - need to quickly
- accept wise advice ]<br>
</i><b>The world is not moving fast enough on climate change —
social sciences can help explain why</b><i><br>
</i>Published: March 10, 2024<br>
Fayola Helen Jacobs - Assistant Professor of urban planning,
University of Minnesota<br>
Candis Callison - Associate professor, School of Public Policy
and Global Affairs, and Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies,
University of British Columbia<br>
Elizabeth Marino - Associate Professor of Anthropology, Oregon
State University<br>
In late 2023 the United States government released its Fifth
National Climate Assessment (NCA). The NCA is a semi-regular
summation of the impacts of climate change upon the U.S. and the
fifth assessment was notable for being the first to include a
chapter on social systems and justice.<br>
<br>
Built on decades of social science research on climate change, the
fifth NCA contends with two truths that are increasingly being
reckoned with in U.S. popular and academic conversations.<br>
<br>
The first is that climate change has the potential to exacerbate
health, social and economic outcomes for Black, Indigenous, people
of colour (BIPOC) and low-income communities. The second is that
social systems and institutions — including governmental, cultural,
spiritual and economic structures — are the only places where
adaptation and mitigation can occur.<br>
We only have to compare mortality rates for the COVID-19 pandemic
disaggregated by race, income, and other axes of inequality to
recognize that we are not all in the same boat, despite experiencing
the same storm. Today, race and income similarly predict who is
likely to be displaced permanently after a major hurricane — and
forced relocation can have negative impacts on individuals and
communities for generations.<br>
<br>
Understanding how existing social systems influence, and are
influenced by, climate change is key to not only slowing the effects
of an increasingly warming Earth, but also ensuring that society’s
transition to a new world is a just one.<br>
<br>
And there is no doubt that we are indeed facing a new world.<br>
<br>
Decades of scientific research have shown that increasingly
devastating and rapid climatic changes are ahead of us, including
more intense hurricanes, droughts and floods.<br>
<br>
Our recent levels of resource consumption — particularly in the
Global North and countries with large developing economies — are
untenable. To be clear, the world is responding to these risks with
the U.S. alone achieving a 13 percent decrease in annual greenhouse
gas emissions between 2005 and 2019, but these responses are not
good enough.<br>
<br>
It is the purview of social scientists — the scientists tasked with
studying human society and social relationships in all of their
complexity — to ask why.<br>
What is it about the ethics, cultures, economies, and symbols at
play in the world that have made it so difficult to turn the tide
and make change? Why do we — individuals, societies, cultures, and
nations — mostly seem unable to curb emissions at the rates
necessary to save ourselves and our planet?<br>
<br>
These are questions that can only partially be answered by new
information and technologies developed by physical scientists and
engineers. We also need an understanding of how humans behave.
Having new technology matters for little if you do not also
understand how social, economic and political decisions are made —
and how certain groups are able to develop habits around lower rates
of emissions and consumption.<br>
<br>
We know that inequitable systems create unevenly distributed risk
and capacities to respond. For example, a hurricane’s intensity
scale is less predictive of its mortality rates than the
socio-economic conditions within the nation where the storm makes
landfall. Understanding these dynamics is the only way to respond to
climate change in a way that does not entrench deep tendencies
towards racist, sexist and classist landscapes of vulnerability.<br>
<br>
<b>Empowering real change</b><br>
Recognizing that disasters and climate disruptions have the
potential to make inequality worse also means that we have the
opportunity to do better.<br>
<br>
There are a range of outcomes that may stem from climate related
disasters with a vast inventory of what is possible. There are also
hopeful examples that point the way to rich collaborations and
problem solving. For example, Tulsa, Okla. was the most frequently
flooded city in the U.S. from the 1960s into the 1980s, but a
coalition of concerned citizens came together with the city
government to create a floodplain management plan that serves as a
model for other cities.<br>
<br>
In another example, Indigenous communities around the U.S. have some
of the most proactive planning in place for adapting to climate
change, despite histories of persecution, theft and violent
exploitation.<br>
There is an adage that says in order to go quickly, go alone; if you
want to go far, go together. Make no mistake, climate change is the
most urgent issue of our time. However, moving quickly and
carelessly will serve only to re-entrench existing social, economic,
political and environmental inequalities.<br>
<br>
Instead, we must look at other ways of being in the world. We can
repair and recreate our relationships with the Earth and the
consumption that has gotten us to this point. We can pay attention
and listen to global Indigenous peoples and others who have cared
for this earth for millennia.<br>
<br>
We must be more creative with our solutions and committed to
ensuring that all, and not just a privileged few, are able to live
in a better world than the one in which they were born into.
Technological approaches alone will not achieve this goal. To build
a better world we need the social sciences.<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://theconversation.com/the-world-is-not-moving-fast-enough-on-climate-change-social-sciences-can-help-explain-why-218091">https://theconversation.com/the-world-is-not-moving-fast-enough-on-climate-change-social-sciences-can-help-explain-why-218091</a><i><br>
</i>
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<i>[ clear data - ]</i><br>
<b>The warmest winter in U.S. history leaves its mark</b><br>
Snow cover was scarce, the Great Lakes were mostly ice-free, and a
million-acre wildfire tore across Texas.<br>
by BOB HENSON<br>
MARCH 8, 2024<br>
The nation’s third warmest February on record secured a place for
winter 2023-24 as the warmest in U.S. records going back to 1895,
according to the monthly climate update issued by NOAA on March 8.<br>
Using the climatological definition of the season — December through
February — winter 2023-24 averaged 37.6°F for the 48 contiguous U.S.
states, soaring 0.82°F above the previous record from winter
2015-16. This stands as the biggest margin from one year to the
next-warmest year across the entire 129-year database of winter
temperatures. As in 2015-16, this winter’s U.S. warmth was boosted
by a strong El Niño event.<br>
Each of the four seasons has now seen record U.S. warmth since 2010,
including spring 2012, summer 2021 (tying 1936), and autumn 2016.<br>
<br>
Winter 2023-24 was the warmest on record for eight states stretching
across the nation’s northern tier, from North Dakota to New
Hampshire. A phenomenal three-quarters of the 48 contiguous states
had a top-10-warmest winter (see Figure 2).<br>
<br>
Winter as a whole would have been even more record-smashingly mild
had it not been for a sharp few days of cold and widespread snow in
mid-to-late January. That month only came in as the nation’s
48th-warmest January, but December’s record warmth and February’s
third-place finish pushed the season as a whole to the top of the
heat rankings.<br>
The winter-scale warmth was especially striking in the Upper
Midwest. Among the record-melting stats pulled together for
Minneapolis-St. Paul by meteorologist Tony D (@WX_TD):<br>
<br>
18 days reached at least 50°F (old record: eight days in 1980-81)<br>
only 23 days dipped to or below 20°F (old record: 34 days in
1877-78)<br>
As for February, every contiguous U.S. state came in much milder
than average. It was the warmest February on record for four states
— Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, and Wisconsin —and a top-10 warmest for
24 states in all across most of the Plains, Midwest, and Northeast,
from Texas to North Dakota to Maine.<br>
<br>
Unlike January, there was no nationwide cold blast to interrupt
February’s mildness in any major way. In fact, data compiled by
independent meteorologist Guy Walton show that the nation set or
tied just 45 daily record low minima in February, compared to 2,908
record high maxima.<br>
Lots of rain, not much snow – and a mammoth fire in Texas<br>
Winter 2023-24 was the 31st-wettest for the contiguous U.S. in 129
years of record-keeping. If this had been a chilly winter more
typical of last century, all that precipitation might have
translated into blankets of snow cover. Instead, this winter’s
moisture fell largely as rain. On a number of days this winter, snow
extent across the 48 contiguous states dipped into record-low
territory for the date in satellite data extending back to 2003,
including during the run-up to the year-end holidays.<br>
<br>
Ice cover extent across the Great Lakes plunged to record-low values
in midwinter, as discussed by Jeff Masters in a February 16 post. On
average, Great Lakes ice extent peaks in early March, with close to
40% coverage typical (see Figure 5). As of March 7, a mere 2.2% of
the lake surface was ice-covered, the lowest extent for the date in
51 years of record-keeping.<br>
The major urban areas of the mid-Atlantic and Northeast did see a
couple of noteworthy snows in January and February, as several
cities notched their first calendar day with an inch of snow in more
than two years. However, several other potentially big snowstorms
missed the mark. In February, one major system dumped record
February rains in Colorado, and another produced an intense but
narrow snow streak from Pennsylvania into the New York City area.<br>
Averaged nationwide, February precipitation came in as the
40th-lowest among 130 years of record-keeping. It was a top-10
driest February for 12 states from the Midwest to the Northeast,
including New York and every New England state. A major snowstorm
socked California’s Sierra Nevada just as February was segueing into
March.<br>
<br>
Largely in line with El Niño expectations, winter precipitation was
lower than average over much of the Northwest and higher than
average across the Southwest. With a rapid transition to La Niña now
looking increasingly likely by midyear, the odds of drought across
the nation’s Sunbelt will once again be rising. So the last two
consecutive years of generous moisture and snowpack across
California and the Southwest will serve as crucial buffers for water
supply – although the risk of wildfire will jump as soon as the
landscape dries out.<br>
The Texas Panhandle shared in the El Niño moisture, recording one of
its wettest winters on record. However, the grasslands of Texas can
dry out quickly in late winter. In the last days of February, fierce
winds and record-warm temperatures ended up stoking what appears to
be the largest fire in modern U.S. history outside of Alaska.<br>
<br>
Growing to 500,000 acres in its first day alone (February 26-27),
the Smokehouse Creek Fire tore from just north of Amarillo eastward
into extreme western Oklahoma. The blaze had scorched 1,058,570
acres as of March 8, putting it ahead of the August Complex,
California’s largest wildfire on record (1,032,648 acres). At least
two people were killed by the Smokehouse Creek Fire and at least 130
structures have destroyed.<br>
Jeff Masters contributed to this post.<br>
Bob Henson is a meteorologist and journalist based in Boulder,
Colorado. <br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2024/03/the-warmest-winter-in-u-s-history-leaves-its-mark/">https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2024/03/the-warmest-winter-in-u-s-history-leaves-its-mark/</a><br>
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<i>[ now that you have watched the Oscar's ]</i><br>
<b>Plot twister: A new test gauges Hollywood's depictions of global
warming. Will it make a difference?</b><br>
Scientists have proposed a new litmus test for climate change in
film. Experts are torn over whether it will help<br>
By MATTHEW ROZSA<br>
Good feminists or adept film buffs may be familiar with the Bechdel
Test, a metric for gauging female representation in film. Created by
comic author Alison Bechdel in the 1980s, a movie has to meet three
standards to pass: It must have at least two women in it, the women
need to talk to each other and they should discuss something other
than a man.<br>
<br>
A climate script consultancy is so determined to raise awareness
about climate change, they created a new version of the Bechdel Test
(also known as the Bechdel–Wallace Test), to hold Hollywood
accountable for how it depicts one of the biggest existential crises
of our time.<br>
<b>"Climate change is not an incidental plot point. It is the very
focus of human survival and will soon become the central story of
our time."</b><br>
According to the group Good Energy in partnership with Colby
College’s Matthew Schneider-Mayerson, the so-called Climate Reality
Check performs a similar function for raising global warming
awareness. For a movie to pass the Climate Reality Check, its world
must include climate change and a character who knows about it. This
only applies to movies set in the present or near future, on Earth
and in our shared universe. So don't expect Darth Vader to suddenly
start talking about global heating.<br>
<br>
So how well does Hollywood hold up to this standard? Good Energy and
Schneider-Meyerson analyzed thirteen of the thirty-four feature
length fictional films nominated for Oscars in 2024 through their
Climate Reality Check.<br>
The movies included "American Fiction," "Anatomy of a Fall,"
"Barbie," "Past Lives," "Mission: Impossible—Dead Reckoning Part
One," "The Creator," "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse," "Io
Capitano," "May December," "Nyad," "Perfect Days," "The Teachers’
Lounge" and "Godzilla Minus One." Only three of those motion
pictures passed the Climate Reality Check: "Barbie," "Nyad" and
"Mission Impossible."<br>
"We hope to see 50% of Oscar-nominated films (that are set on Earth
in the present or future) pass the Climate Reality Check by 2027,"
the authors of the Climate Reality Check write. They add later on
their website that their goal "was to ensure the test was easy to
use, measurable and creatively inspiring."<br>
<br>
"I believe this test is a good reminder that climate change exists
in our daily lives in a multitude of ways, whether or not we see it
on screen," Anna Jane Joyner, Founder of Good Energy, told Salon by
email. Joyner also said it is "incredible" that "three of the most
celebrated films of the year talked about climate change in very
different and fact-based ways, as it intersects with consumerism,
national security, and our species and ecosystems. If you put a
mirror to our daily lives, the narrative opportunity is limitless."<br>
<br>
Not everyone thinks the Climate Reality Check is going to achieve as
much good as its creators believe — including some respected
scientists.<br>
"My initial reaction is that this feels a bit hokey," Walt Meier,
Senior Research Scientist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center
at CIRES/University of Colorado, told Salon. "I’m all for greater
exposure to and understanding of climate change science, but I don’t
think it makes sense to force it into a plot where it doesn’t fit."<br>
<br>
Meier argued that the original Bechdel Test was created to
illustrate how women are marginalized in movies, and was
"fundamentally different" from a climate change test because of the
divergent contexts.<br>
<br>
"Female characters are often marginalized in movies and are not
given realistic roles with depth. In virtually any movie, there is
the opportunity to do so in a natural and realistic way for female
characters," Meier pointed out. "I don’t think that that is
necessarily the case for climate change. Of course, one could wedge
it in, but if it feels forced, I don’t think it would have a
beneficial effect."<br>
<br>
Joshua Colwell, a physicist at the University of Central Florida,
has first-hand experience ensuring scientific accuracy in movies: He
worked as a "comet adviser" on the 1998 film "Deep Impact," which is
widely regarded by scientists as one of the most scientifically
accurate films in the disaster genre — not that that's exactly a
high bar. According to Colwell, movies in general have the potential
to raise public awareness about pressing issues like climate change.
His question about the new Bechdel Test is whether it will be widely
known enough to have a positive effect.<br>
"As for the test itself, its impact will depend on the extent to
which movie studios and the public care about passing the test,"
Colwell told Salon. "I applaud the effort to try to raise awareness,
and I’d be curious to see results for all major theatrical releases,
not just Oscar-nominated films."<br>
"The line in 'Mission Impossible' that makes the movie pass the test
is, I think, spot on," Colwell continued. "It points out that the
combination of dwindling energy supplies and damage to food supply
systems through environmental destruction are a grave global
geopolitical threat.<br>
Colwell also emphasized that addressing climate change is not just
about saving polar bears. "It’s about averting mass famine,
widespread migration and the spread of armed conflict. There’s a
reason the U.S. Department of Defense identifies climate change as a
serious threat to national security," he said.<br>
<br>
Acclaimed screenwriter Bruce Joel Rubin, who co-wrote "Deep Impact,"
said it's hard to say whether the test will help, but it definitely
won’t hurt as Hollywood "probably need plots more focused on the
problem." Rubin singled out "The End We Start From," a lesser-known
survival film starring Jodie Comer, as a quality 2023 movie about
climate change.<br>
<br>
"Climate change is not an incidental plot point," Rubin said. "It is
the very focus of human survival and will soon become the central
story of our time, assuming we still have a civilization able to
engage the unfolding drama that surrounds us all."<br>
<br>
Meier told Salon that he has seen several of the best picture
nominees for this year's Oscars, and argued that going through the
list helps illustrate the test's ineffectiveness. For instance,
"American Fiction" is a comedy set in our universe but has a plot
that in no ways intersects with climate change. "There is a beach
house in the movie, so sure, they could have the characters say
something about concerns over sea level rise. But it would be forced
and would detract from the main focus of the movie," Meier said.<br>
On the other hand, Meier points out that one of the Oscar season's
biggest contenders, "Oppenheimer," can be perceived through a very
interesting light when filtered through the test. After all, it is
the true story of a brilliant and perceptive scientist whose
accurate warnings were ignored by policymakers.<br>
<br>
"'Oppenheimer' certainly has relevance for climate change in terms
of the potential negative effects of human technology and our
ability to make powerful changes in the environment," Meier said,
later adding in his observation that "I think there are connections
to climate change that are interesting to discuss, but I don’t think
climate change would fit within the movie itself."<br>
Edward Maibach, a professor at George Mason University and director
of the organization's Center for Climate Change Communication,
offered his own possibility: "To pass the test, at least one
sympathetic (i.e., not villainous) main or supporting character must
either directly express concern about climate change and/or support
for government or corporate action to deal with climate change;
and/or take a meaningful action in support of government or
corporate climate solutions (e.g., voting, calling their elected
representative, selecting one brand over another because of the
parent company’s climate commitments)."<br>
<br>
By contrast, Kevin Trenberth — who is part of the Climate Analysis
Section at the U.S. NCAR National Center for Atmospheric Research —
speculated that it is "unlikely" that the Climate Reality Check will
improve the general public's scientific literacy. "A few movies that
focused on weather or climate have things quite unrealistic,"
Trenberth told Salon, listing "The Day After Tomorrow," "Twister"
and "Waterworld" as egregious examples. He said that if Hollywood
wants to depict climate change accurately, it should show widespread
droughts, wildfires, extreme storms and flooding. These stories
"mostly get reported as isolated events not part of a bigger picture
that describes why they occur," he said.<br>
Finally, Ann Merchant, the deputy executive director for
communications at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering
and Medicine — and manager of the Science & Entertainment
Exchange, an organization that exists to promote scientific accuracy
in mainstream Hollywood releases — pointed to recent Pew data that
suggests a majority of Americans view climate change as a bona fide
threat to our future. This can be where Hollywood could help things
out.<br>
<br>
"Though when you pull that number apart by political affiliation
there’s a big difference between Democrats and Republicans,"
Merchant said. "This kind of unpacking is what accounts for the
necessity for different messaging for different audiences on this
topic. A story that lands with one viewer might be entirely
ineffective with another, which is why we need a variety of stories
on this topic."<br>
Merchant added, "In general, we’d like to see more films and
television shows where climate change is featured in differing ways,
but with a consistent emphasis on positive outcomes that are derived
by activating evidence-based solutions. Which is a super wonky way
of saying that the nihilistic, apocalyptic stories don’t really help
much. We need more deeply personal stories of hope, change and
survival."<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.salon.com/2024/03/10/plot-twister-a-new-test-gauges-hollywoods-depictions-of-global-warming-will-it-make-a-difference/">https://www.salon.com/2024/03/10/plot-twister-a-new-test-gauges-hollywoods-depictions-of-global-warming-will-it-make-a-difference/</a><br>
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<br>
<i>[ accept the predicament ]</i><br>
<b>How to enjoy your problems</b><br>
Accepting your problems is one thing. To enjoy them? Well, that’s
pretty much enlightenment. Here’s how to get there<br>
by Chelsea Harvey Garner <br>
<br>
<b>Need to know</b><br>
As a therapist, I’ve found that so much of what I do is about giving
people the space to say what they’re struggling with. It can take
them months. Not to resolve the problems, or even to understand them
in a deep, philosophical sense, but literally just to realise what
their problems are.<br>
<br>
This is especially true for people with complicated conundrums,
stressors that are difficult to explain. There’s a special
loneliness reserved for people in this situation – who are facing
problems that seem weird and who worry that, if they let themselves
admit how bad things are and how bad they feel, they’ll realise
they’re too messed up to recover. If you recognise this description,
I know how you’re feeling. I’ve experienced these fears too.<br>
<br>
<b> If you can learn to enjoy your problems, that’s enlightenment</b><br>
- -<br>
<br>
<b>Whatever it looks like, your life is worth celebrating</b><br>
I first read the phrase ‘enjoy your problems’ in 2017. I was
doom-scrolling Tumblr when I came across a blurry shot of a concrete
wall with those words scrawled in Sharpie. It wasn’t well done
enough to be called graffiti, which enhanced its charm. I was struck
by its simplicity, the way it suggested doing exactly the opposite
of what humans usually do. Most of us spend our lives denying we
have problems. Does it work? Never. But that doesn’t stop us from
wasting a lot of time trying.<br>
<br>
After some Googling, I learned that the saying is attributed to the
Zen monk Suzuki Roshi, a teacher who helped popularise Buddhist
teachings in the United States, founded the San Francisco Zen
Center, and wrote the book Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind (1970). In
Buddhism, equanimity is one of the four brahmavihārās or boundless
qualities, which are seen as keys to cultivating an open, awakened
state of being. Equanimity, in modern English, is defined as
‘evenness of mind especially under stress.’<br>
<br>
In many mindfulness communities, Buddhist equanimity is interpreted
as a sort of neutrality, a lack of preference about what happens to
us: ‘I could get the job, or not. I could become wealthy, or I could
remain poor. Either will provide opportunities for enlightenment.’
That kind of thing. Often, though, this receptivity gets mistaken
for apathy, which can make us think that being numbed out and aloof
is the ideal.<br>
But in fact, the Buddha described equanimity a bit differently, as a
state of being that is ‘abundant, exalted, immeasurable’. These
words imply a more active, engaged way of being in the world, rather
than simply not caring. But how does one manage to embrace their
fate – with all its inherent problems – surreal as they may be? As a
therapist, I’ve studied what scientists have to say about healing
but, more than anything, I’ve learned the hard way: by wading
through my own mess.<br>
<br>
If you’re still reading, chances are your life doesn’t look like you
thought it would. Your experience is probably not reflected in
anyone’s social media feed or represented by standard-issue sympathy
cards. But regardless of how sad or strange things have gotten for
you, your story is worth telling. Even with its bewildering side
quests and meltdowns on aisle four, your broken life and your broken
heart are worth celebrating. What if you stopped waiting to arrive
at some imaginary destination where all your problems are solved,
and started embracing your life as it is, today? Here are some tips
to help you get there...<br>
- -<br>
<blockquote><b>1. If you can learn to enjoy your problems, that’s
enlightenment. </b>Regardless of whether other people get your
problems, you have to get them. Try to accept your life, absurd as
it may be, and find some joy in it.<br>
<br>
<b>2. Don’t judge yourself. It’s one thing to have problems, it’s
another to blame yourself for having them. </b>Yet that’s what
many of us do. Tell yourself the opposite – feel proud.<br>
<br>
<b>3. Tell your story. Describing, in detail, what you’ve survived
can empower and energise you. </b>It can help you recognise
what you’re capable of.<br>
<br>
<b>4. Move your body.</b> In moments of extreme suffering, many
ancient traditions suggest movement. Dance until you stop thinking
about the fact that you’re dancing. Not sure how? Start with a
tiny movement and repeat it for an hour.<br>
<br>
<b>5. Make something.</b> You don’t have to make anything
brilliant, and you don’t ever have to show anyone. Similar to
telling your story, the act of creative expression is
transformative in itself.<br>
<br>
<b>6. Cry for help.</b> Vulnerability creates an opening for
genuine connection. Embracing the full spectrum of feeling makes
you emotionally available, and others can feel the depth of your
presence.<br>
<br>
<b>7. Pray in your own way</b>. You don’t have to be religious to
pray. I see prayer as any act that reminds you of your connection
to your chosen community, the nonhuman world, and the Universe as
a whole. Don’t underestimate how much it can shift your
perspective and help you feel less alone.<br>
<br>
<b>8.Redefine happiness</b>. True wellness is less about avoiding
struggle and more about appreciating the full spectrum of
experience, from moments of awe to exhilaration and even terror.<br>
</blockquote>
- -<br>
<i>[ Learn more ]</i><br>
<b>Can you take enjoying your problems too far?</b><br>
Of course! Anything can be taken too far. Here are some signs that
you’re indulging a bit too much in your sorrow.<br>
<blockquote> <i>1. Putting things off. </i>My patients often worry
that if they embrace difficult emotions, they’ll get too
comfortable with feeling bad and lose the impulse to improve their
situation. I understand this concern but, really, avoiding
emotions is more often what keeps us in a state of stagnation.<br>
<br>
You don’t have to choose between feeling hard things and taking
action to better yourself. Finding meaning in pain can be the
thing that helps us feel ready to move on. That said, if you
notice you’re consistently putting off tasks that are good for
you, it may be a sign that you’re heading in an unhealthy
direction. If so, reach out to a trusted friend or therapist for
help getting motivated.<br>
<br>
<i>2. Isolating.</i> Solitude can be nourishing, and everyone has
different social needs. But if you’re going many days without
having an authentic exchange, or you’re losing contact with people
you used to be close to, this probably means it’s time to reach
out. Let someone you trust know how you’re doing and invite them
into your experience.<br>
<br>
<i>3. Negative self-talk.</i> We all have a harsh inner critic at
times, but enjoying your problems is about loving yourself through
hard times, not beating yourself up. If you notice your thoughts
are becoming meaner or more alienating, seek support right away.
You deserve empathy, both from yourself and from others.<br>
</blockquote>
<b>Links & books</b><br>
Whenever someone in a therapy forum asks other therapists for their
favourite book to recommend to patients, a top answer is When Things
Fall Apart (1996) by Pema Chödrön. I’ve given away my copy more
times than I can count.<br>
For a more playful guide to facing existential questions, my book A
Pity Party Is Still a Party (2023) is about making the most of
feeling like crap.<br>
<br>
Tara Brach is a Buddhist psychologist whose seminal book Radical
Acceptance (2003) offers a practical, compassionate view on how to
make peace with the problems we face.<br>
<br>
For a quick perspective on what it means to pray in an
unconventional way, this extract from Anne Lamott’s book Help,
Thanks, Wow (2012) offers a wise, relatable take on spirituality.<br>
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://psyche.co/guides/how-to-enjoy-your-problems-and-reach-enlightenment">https://psyche.co/guides/how-to-enjoy-your-problems-and-reach-enlightenment</a>?<br>
<p><br>
</p>
<font face="Calibri"><br>
</font><font face="Calibri"> <i>[The news archive - ]</i></font><br>
<font face="Calibri"><font size="+2"><i><b>March ll, 2009 </b></i></font>
</font><br>
<font face="Calibri">March 11, 2009: MSNBC's Keith Olbermann rips
Paul Dellegatto, meteorologist for Tampa, Florida Fox affiliate
WTVT, for failing to forecast the facts about human-caused climate
change:<br>
</font>
<blockquote><font face="Calibri"> "[I]n the middle of a forecast
[Dellegatto] declared global warming was no longer a threat.
[Dellegatto stated,] 'Athens, Georgia, just about a week ago,
and they had up to half a foot of snow. Las Vegas got snow. It
actually snowed in New Orleans this winter.' Dellegatto went on
to say the current warming trend peaked in 1998 and, quote, 'I
just think the whole global warming doomsayer theory is tough to
see, based on recent calculations.'</font><br>
<font face="Calibri"> </font><br>
<font face="Calibri"> "Once again, this is science‘s fault. Never
should have used the phrase 'global warming.' 'Weather
disaster' would have worked. The mistake was they thought even
the dimmer folks would realize during global warming, it could
get colder from time to time, especially in the places where
it‘s not supposed to, like Tampa last month, when it got down to
28 here. This guy missed it, obviously because he was more
worried about putting in global warming denial propaganda into
the local freaking weather forecast on the local freaking Fox
station!"</font><br>
</blockquote>
<font face="Calibri"> <strike><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="http://www.nbcnews.com/video/countdown/29645384#29645384">http://www.nbcnews.com/video/countdown/29645384#29645384</a> </strike>
NBCNews has removed this video <br>
</font>
<p><font face="Calibri"><br>
</font></p>
<p><font face="Calibri"><br>
</font></p>
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Every weekday morning<br>
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