Glass Half Full vs Glass Half Empty

Based on your answer to the question, "Are you a glass half full or a glass half empty kind of person?", you are classified as an optimist or a pessimist. Similarly, from the way I look at the world of sustainability, the same question is applicable. People working in and around sustainability can be split into two distinct groups - what I like to call the 'DOOMSDAY' crowd (Glass Half Empty) and the 'PROGRESS is PROGRESS' crowd (Glass Half Full). Now the aim of this article isn't to advocate for what is the better approach, that's purely up to you the reader. All I am here to do is shed some light on both sides and see what resonates with you the most or with the people around you.

A for Apple, B for ball, C for Cat and D for DOOM

The DOOMSDAY crowd, as the name suggests drive the narrative on sustainability through the lens that the world is slowly capitulating and if we don't do something, it's going to be the end of life as we know it. During my time in Europe, I came across a lot of different people who shared this perspective, whether it be climate activists, professors, students, etc. One red thread I saw across was the passion each of them had on the topic. The passion was tangible and would be bursting forth in every conversation they would engage in on the topic. This passion I must say can be quite contagious, and I believe it has that impact because you are tapping into the raw emotions of people and getting them intrinsically linked to the problems that exist. You might be wondering why certain climate activists would go through the extreme measures they go through to drive home a point like sticking themselves onto public places, throwing things at paintings in museums, etc. Now the debate of whether these measures are too extreme is another debate for another day, but I just want to shed some light into the possible thought processes. If you happen to get in a room with one of them and have a discussion, you would definitely see how much zeal they have for the topic and then you would start to see where they truly come from. Some people I have met have gone through truly traumatic experiences where climate change has truly etched in them memories that can fuel quite the fire.

Now for a little look behind the curtain - now as you have heard me mention in other articles, things pertaining to sustainability and climate change cannot necessarily be fixed with short term goals. You will have to look into systemic changes that have a lot of political, economical and environmental implications, which for obvious reasons do not necessarily move all that fast. Why is this important? DOOMSDAY people have a lot of pent up emotions pertaining to the topic, and sometimes that tends to overpower their viewpoint with regards to what can and cannot be done. I am not going to make a broad generalization and say that all passionate individuals have blatant disregard for practicalities, but my take on it is that PASSION and PROCESS work on two very different timelines. One has to give way, and usually it's passion, and that is what could lead to people taking extreme measures to break down PROCESS.

One Step at a Time

On the other hand, the glass half full crowd - The PROGRESS is PROGRESS - have a different approach to sustainability. These are the kind of people who work on deep diving into systems that exist in society and learn why it works the way it works. This can involve studying a particular course in either school or university, having discussions with people in the field, attending exhibitions, and things of that nature. This is a slow-burn approach, and when I say slow-burn I mean slooooow-burn. I can't sugarcoat it and say it any other way, it takes a lot of time. It means coming to terms with the harsh reality that you personally - most likely - will not be able to exact any change for the foreseeable future (5-10 years). To the outside world it could come across as inaction at times or lack of consideration. But that is the price you need to be willing to pay if you take this approach. The systems that exist both naturally and human-made make the World a truly complex place, and trying to understand it - or at least a part of it - rightfully takes a lot of time. But that time invested, will help you develop holistic solutions that can take into consideration any necessary implications and practical limitations.

The Crossroads

However, factoring time into both these schools of thought brings about an interesting dynamic. The DOOMSDAY drive for change that can be used to influence things in the now, and the 'PROGRESS' groups work for systemic change that would have exponential impacts but much later in the future. Now depending on what you feel is your priority, you would resonate more with one over the other. Let me add one more layer to that statement, not just what you feel your priority is, but also understanding what is the priority of those you are trying to influence plays a significant role. This can go a long way in facilitating more fruitful discussions. Understanding the nuances of these two schools of thought can help you empathize with the other party and come together with a better understanding of what each person is looking for from the discussions.

I must end with this, as with personalities, its almost impossible to say that all people are either one or the other, and rightly so. Some people would identify as more in the middle, some more towards DOOMSDAY and some towards 'PROGRESS is PROGRESS'. I am not here to tell you which perspective is right or wrong, I am just here to help you gain a better understanding of why people might do the things they do.