Malaise

That Uncomfortable Feeling that Won’t Go Away

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Malaise: a general feeling of being ill or having no energy, or an uncomfortable feeling that something is wrong, especially with society, and that you cannot change the situation (Cambridge Dictionary definition; my emphasis).

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How are you feeling these days? I don’t mean in terms of physical health, although I hope you are doing well in that area. But how are you feeling rationally, emotionally—dare I say mentally? Are you feeling good about the way the world is going? That there’s a bright future for the next generations, such as your children and grandchildren?

If you are, then more power to you, and good luck with that.

But for me, over the last year or so, I’ve felt this general, background malaise in myself and among many of the people I associate with. And why not? It seems the world is falling apart around us. Every day we hear about innocent people being killed by crazed gunman, a wannabe dictator disrupting the world with his illegal acts, or people being displaced by wars, drought, famine, floods or wildfires. Meanwhile, food and housing costs rise, unions strike for more pay, and governments struggle to keep up with all the issues that need to be addressed.

To my mind, the issues we are facing can be sorted into the following categories:

First, Climate Change—the existential crisis affecting the entire world. Despite the long history of science outlining how our use of fossil fuels has accelerated climate change; and despite the droughts, extreme weather, wild fires and floods being experienced around the world as a result of climate change, we continue to increase our use of fossil fuels. Indeed, it seems governments look for excuses not to fulfill their agreed carbon emission targets. The result is we’re heading to a climate catastrophe that is and will be disastrous to our health, wellbeing and water and food security.

Revealed: Exxon made ‘breathtakingly’ accurate climate predictions in 1970s and 80s

Exxon says world set to fail 2°C global warming cap by 2050

The ecosystems that sustain life on this planet are threatened by climate change.

Second, the Cockwomble in Washington, D.C. For reasons I will never understand, the people of the US of A, decided to elect as their president, for a second term, a seditionist, convicted felon, serial liar and climate change denier. With a sycophantic congress and supreme court unwilling to rein him in, Trump is trying to take the US back to the late 19^th century when there was no income tax, and a much smaller federal government ran on the revenue generated from tariffs on goods and services from abroad. That was when Oligarchs (Robber Barons, e.g., Carnegie, Vanderbilt, Rockefeller) ran the economy and got richer at the expense of working people. In his rush to get this done within his four-year term, Trump is rapidly destroying the institutions and agencies that made the US a world leader in so many fields, including climate change, renewable energy and environmental conservation. As a result, countries are scrambling to realign themselves with new trading and security partners to fill the voids left by the US.

Third, the perpetual wars in the Ukraine and Israel/Palestine, among others. There have always been wars somewhere in the world since WWII, but these are particularly horrific. Ukraine, the bread-basket of Europe and a major technological centre, is fighting a war of attrition against a Russian invader that wishes to dominate Europe. Putin shows no interest in peace and will continue his aggression even to the collapse of his nation’s economy. He has successfully weakened the one ally the Ukraine could depend upon with the election of Donald Trump. Now it’s up to Europe to step up and defend Ukraine and ultimately themselves.

Isreal/Palestine is an ongoing war that has been fought off-and-on since the UN carved the state of Israel out of Palestine in 1948. Each succeeding conflict increased the hatred and malice between the two peoples. The October 7^th Hamas attack, followed by Israel’s retaliatory attacks on the Gazan civilian population have been particularly appalling. Despite what International Humanitarian Law and the Geneva Conventions are meant to prevent, the war crimes of targeting civilians are commonplace in both wars.

There have been other world-wide, future-threatening crises. The two world wars come to mind. The one I readily remember is the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, when the world came the closest it has been to a nuclear war. I was 16 at the time and definitely wondered if I had a future. However, the crisis didn’t last long, as cooler heads prevailed and the tension was relieved, although the threat of a nuclear conflagration is still here. This time around, the key leaders seem incapable of relieving the crises that are building.

How to Find and Have Hope

With all this going on it’s hard to be hopeful. Indeed, it’s easier to be cynical. In a few weeks, I’ll finish my 80^th year on this planet and it would be easy for me to take a cynical position because what do I care what happens after I’m gone? But I do care what happens because I have a daughter and a young grandson with many years ahead of them—not to mention the children and grandchildren of my friends and relatives. I don’t want them to believe there isn’t a future for them. And of course, there is. It’s just not going to be the future my generation could look forward to.

What gives me hope are the young people who are taking action to fight climate change, conserve biodiversity (supporting the earth’s biosphere that supports us), fight for human rights and a robust independent news media, etc. They are keen and determined, as they should be, fighting for their futures.

Also, younger generations of Indigenous peoples are making a difference for their people and making sure reconciliation is always top of mind, especially when changes to their traditional lands are proposed by governments. Perhaps that’s what we all should be doing locally, ensuring the lands that give us our food, water and recreation are protected and conserved.

Indeed, we individuals have more power to make positive changes locally than nationally, or internationally. And maybe that’s where we should be turning our positive energy, ensuring our communities are prepared for what’s coming: building solar panel arrays, ensuring structures are protected from wildfires, ensuring fresh water supplies, etc. And of course, lobbying our politicians to look ahead to what’s coming beyond the four-year election cycle. By doing these things we can show people where hope and a future worth fighting for can be found.