Balancing the Opposites of Climate Change
Be aware when things are out of balance.
—Tao Te Ching
Living on the edge of a somewhat wild environment at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains provides me with daily reminders of life’s diversity. Mule deer wandering along the hills munching on shrubs and trees, the occasional sighting of a mountain lion or, at least, the signs of their nocturnal presence, hawks hovering overhead and foxes prowling on the ground, both looking with keen eyes at a lonely field mouse in the low-lying grasses: all paint a portrait of the richness and variety of life in the world. The closer one looks, the more apparent it becomes that these beings rely on one another to sustain a stable environment. No single species ever takes control, for if one species were to dominate an environment, the whole system would eventually collapse. Nature does not tolerate imbalance; it seems to have an innate capacity to correct for such discord. In this regard, we have much to learn from nature in either wild or not-so-wild settings.
Natural environments constantly strive to reach some form of dynamic balance. Such balance is never perfect, and it need not be; all that seems to be necessary is that these environments never drift too far from their inherent state of equilibrium. If there are too many foxes, eventually there are too few mice, which then leads to a decrease in foxes, which continues until a new balance exists between foxes and mice. Of course, ecosystems are far more complex than just foxes and mice, but even with a multitude of species, including grasses, trees, insects, rodents, larger mammals, and birds, the system enters a dynamic balance that exists among all the actors. Ecosystems include the rainfall, moisture, and temperature of the larger surrounding environment. Ecological theaters involve worlds within worlds. Ecosystems are inclusive, enfolding the diversity of multiple worlds. Within these complex environments, a graceful dance of life is at play.
The theater in which all of this plays out need not be a small local environment like the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Consider Earth’s climate, which is defined by a fine balance between the energy we receive from the sun and the energy radiated away from the planet. Left on its own, this flow of energy establishes a dynamic balance insuring a stable climate system. There are certainly natural variations in this system, just as there are in the local ecosystems, but overall these systems are very stable. Even on geologic timescales Earth has kept within a range of temperatures able to support life. Over this long span of time key influences on climate did change, such as the position of continents and the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. These changes resulted in shifts in Earth’s climate, and life responded to these shifts. It is important to recognize that when these and other key factors shift, Earth’s climate shifts too, which is a general rule in maintaining balance within any complex system.
Achieving a new balance after a change in conditions does not imply that everything remains the same, just as it was before the change. Think of this in terms of a personal budget. Assume I have a career with a certain stable income. If I am conscientious, then I will develop a lifestyle that assures my personal budget is balanced. I spend about as much as I take in. Now assume a change occurs: my business is in trouble, and I take a pay cut, or I must take a new job that pays less. If I continue to live conscientiously, then I must reduce my spending to match my lower income. I establish a new balance. I am again living within my means, but my lifestyle has had to change. Being in balance after a change in income forces me to live differently than before. This process is true of any system that strives to be in balance. It works at the small scale of my personal income all the way up to Earth’s ability to establish a stable climate.
Social systems may also establish some form of equilibrium. Our history is one of developing ways to live together in some semblance of stability. We develop ways to communicate, common rules of behavior, and agreed-upon currency systems to regulate our social environments. There have certainly been large variations along the way, but overall, human civilization has established systems that attempt to provide security and steadiness. The fact that human society has not collapsed, that the world has survived major wars and political upheavals, is a sign that social systems are regulated in some grand way. From an evolutionary perspective we would expect societies to develop ways of self-regulating. As noted, the belief systems of equality and authority each bring benefits to society. Those who adhere to a belief in equality care about the safety of the whole group. They will make decisions ensuring that resources are distributed in a way that helps the many. Those who believe in authority will create systems that establish order within societies. They will focus on securing resources. The dynamic interplay between these opposing belief systems provides stability to the whole. In Western history, one could argue that the Catholic Church played such a stabilizing role in the Middle Ages. It created an environment that contained knowledge, order, and hope for society. Of course, all elements in a system contain their counterpart, and with the church it was rigidity and autocratic power.
In our personal interactions we regulate how we behave with others. We develop a persona, a predictable outer appearance, in order to interact with the world in a mostly harmonious manner. Internally, we develop a sense of self-identity, a unique personality, which is identifiable by our selves and others we meet. Our inner world is also populated by complexes, which act as independent agents with their own agendas. These autonomous actors can be at odds with our conscious thoughts and actions. They create a vibrant but also often troublesome interior psychological ecosystem. Do these internal actors develop their own form of dynamic balance? Apparently they do, since we possess a relatively stable sense of self that allows us to maneuver through life. Certainly, there are those moments when we “lose it” and are not in balance with the outer world, but most of the time these experiences are transitory, and balance is restored.
Jung argues that the psyche, as a whole, is a self-regulating dynamic system. If an individual’s psyche experiences a significant shock or alteration, either from the outer or inner world, then the archetypes provide a restorative force to life. How does this happen? Essentially, the outer disruption activates our inner world, and tension develops between this unconscious world and consciousness. This tension leads to the development of a symbolic image, establishing a new balance between our inner and outer worlds. This regulation requires that we develop a conscious relationship with our inner world, a process requiring us to meditate on the fantasies, dream images, and synchronicities in life. It is a path that requires us to honor both the nonrational and the rational in our lives. Such an approach certainly flies in the face of today’s predominantly rational worldview, but I believe that the major issues confronting us today call us to open ourselves to the unseen and disregarded.
What does happen when things get out of balance? Consider an ecosystem experiencing a persistent state of drought. The vegetation that flourished under previously predictable rain patterns begins to disappear. Insects and small mammals that depended on sustenance and protection from this vegetation begin to die off or relocate. Predators that depended on the smaller life forms begin to die off or migrate to more vegetated regions. The whole landscape of the ecosystem, not just a specific type of vegetation, dramatically alters because of the change in rainfall. Eventually, the system falls out of balance. It then seeks to establish a new stable environment, one that will be steady but vastly different from before.
We see a similar phenomenon occurring with our climate system, in which we are causing a vast change to the planet’s balance of energy. Burning fossil fuels increases the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Since carbon dioxide absorbs energy radiated from Earth’s surface, an increase in this gas leads to less energy exiting the planet. This trapped energy upsets the preexisting balance of energy, causing Earth to warm dramatically. This imbalance and its accompanying warming will continue as long as carbon dioxide continues to increase in the atmosphere. To be sure, there are natural ups and downs that exist with this warming, but overall the long-term trend attributable to our activities is causing the world to warm.
How are societies affected by the very changes that they are causing? Dramatic changes to the global environment are leading to social imbalances, and the imbalance in the global environment is sowing seeds of discord in the world. We are seeing the effects of this already: poor nations contributing little to greenhouse warming are suffering increased flooding and rising sea levels. But even the richest nations are beginning to experience social disruption ultimately attributable to climate change. It is estimated that by the end of this century over one thousand major cities in the United States will be at risk from rising sea levels. Coastlines with increased risk of flooding from storm surges will require significant inland migrations of millions of people. Other likely changes include disruptions in food production and the potential spread in infectious disease.
These changes also involve psychological disruption. Demands on mental health centers increased dramatically after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans: reported cases of depression tripled after the devastation. Individual psyches strained under the enormity of the change wrought by the hurricane. Our social support systems already struggle to deal with the changes that are taking place. What of the future? We will be challenged to deal with the large disruptions yet to occur, given that society is already showing signs of strain.
The disturbing news of our changing world has led to a growing sense of anxiety and dis-ease about our very being in the world. The constant barrage of bad news about the world has pushed us into a state of psychological imbalance. I have noted the ways we protect ourselves from bad news, by using defenses to try to restore some semblance of stability to our lives, but the new balance put in place may not be beneficial. Defenses may create a state that is momentarily stable but not always healthy for the individual or for society at large. They enable us to get by, but not in an optimal and flourishing way.
Our commitment to burning fossil fuels arises from our need for more and more energy. The critical social factors that drive this need are the increasing number of people on the planet, the increasing consumption of energy, and technological innovations that require more energy. The increasing global population places a tremendous burden on natural resources. It also appears that, per person, people are using more energy than in the past. The explosion in consumerism has led to owning more things that require energy. Our overconsumption drives our desire for more energy; until we rein in this desire to consume recklessly we will continue to place our world out of balance.
I have focused on many outerworldly imbalances, but what is the deeper imbalance that leads to the problem of disruption? It is our desire to consume more than we need. What drives this desire? I believe it is a sense of emptiness within. In distancing ourselves from others, including the nonhuman world, we have created a lack within. In not tending to the inner world of psyche, the unconscious, we create a lack within. In losing a sense of the greater meaning of our lives, we create inner emptiness. All these ways of distancing—personal, interpersonal, transpersonal—have led to a yearning for fullness. Our accumulation of things in the world is an unsuccessful attempt to fill this existential emptiness. We have created corporate entities that continually tell us that increased consumption will make us feel better inside. Sadly, we seem to be passing this old paradigm of overconsumption on to the next generation. We need to lift the veil on this false belief and move forward. The continued consumption of the world will not alleviate our sense of emptiness. It is essential that we address this fundamental internal imbalance in order to create a flourishing world.
How do we begin to reestablish balance at these various levels to ensure a positive, creative future for the world? What critical transformations must take place? We often look to organizations to effect change and address imbalances in the world because we tend to feel that these problems are too large for individuals or small groups to do anything about. However, transformation must take place simultaneously at all levels. Transformation at the level of the individual is critical to achieving global solutions.
In this spirit, let us start at the level of the individual and work our way up. A critical thread to our new story of flourishing is recognizing that in order to restore balance to the planet, we need to restore balance within ourselves. Balance means becoming more complete, more whole, and able to adopt different viewpoints and approaches to solving problems. Without a balanced perspective, we become one-sided and are less resilient to changes that occur in life. One-sidedness locks us into intolerance to other viewpoints, creating cynicism rather than creativity. One-sidedness leads to isolation from the world. Striving for balance is critical if we want to thrive in the world.
Where to begin? I believe a better understanding of the conscious and unconscious aspects of psyche is essential, that is, how unconscious motivations and inner patterns of behavior affect our relationship with one another and the environment. Bringing more consciousness to our relationships with one another and with the environment is critical to creating our new story.
We live in a world that values outer-directed, rapid action. This extraverted attitude has produced a rich material world; however, the price we pay for this one-sided approach is a loss of reflection on why we produce so much. A more balanced approach to living would honor equally the gift of thoughtful, patient reflection on how to face the world. Appreciating a quieter attitude toward our world places us into a more sacred relationship with it. We need to value time spent looking inward along with time spent acting outward.
I believe there is also a need to balance our more concrete view of the world with one rooted in imagination. Our concrete way of seeing the world values well-defined, hard facts. It is a world quantified through the measurement of size, mass, and duration of material objects. Although this perspective is necessary to build and produce our material world—our homes, our farms, our schools—something else is needed to balance out this concrete view. We need to balance our sense of quantity with quality. Imagination lives in the ethereal realm of image and metaphor. It is the font of creativity and is necessary for envisioning a flourishing future. We need to imagine a world without fossil fuels, a world where we tread lightly on the earth and in which food is distributed more equitably. A world where we are living in cooperation, rather than competition, with nature.
Animate awareness is also important, as ours is a history of viewing the world as essentially inanimate. We have drifted far away from seeing a living world, and we view the material world as existing to serve our endless needs and wants. In our journey toward objectivity we have lost an awareness of the value of life. We have departed the animal kingdom for good, despite the fact that we are still very instinctual. Research continues to unveil the intricate social and psychological abilities of all species and also describes the intricate ecological interdependencies between species and environments. It is time we recognize our active participation in a fully animate world. We need to transform our consciousness around the issue of the material world, a transformation bringing psyche and matter together, in which our conscious engagement with the animate world allows us to recognize the animal within.
We are in a reciprocal relationship with the world, what we could call mindfully engaged being in the world. If the awakening I am arguing for occurs, we would no longer be separated from the world to the degree that we are. This marriage of psyche and matter is not an abstract academic issue; it is an important aspect of everyday life. In any moment we can choose to remember to be aware of our sense experiences. We can choose to imagine how our world could be better for all. We can open ourselves to the animate nature and beauty of the world. In such moments we lift the veil that separates us from the world.
Jung felt that all creativity began with the play of the imagination. The play with inner images often leads to great ideas and inventions. Our educational systems stress the analytic over the synthetic, the concrete over the imaginative, action over reflection. What if we designed our schools to value a balanced approach to these qualities in life? Wouldn’t we be better off facing the future with access to all of these perspectives? A balanced approach to life makes us more resilient to change, and, ultimately, being balanced within allows us to live in balance with the outer world.
Our new story weaves together analytic thinking and synthetic valuing, extraverted and introverted attentiveness, the concrete with the imaginative, and the masculine with the feminine. Balancing these qualities allows us to see things more comprehensively. Imaginative envisioning is necessary for creating a sustainable, flourishing future.
To live a balanced life requires us to consider how we relate to the world around us. Fundamentally, we need to understand the nature of our being in the world.