Resilience and the Tao of Pooh

This month's post wasn't planned this way, but the unprecedented coronavirus situation has got me thinking about how we react to times of danger and uncertainty.  In these times, with some much time at home and reflection, it's easy for all the stress, anxiety and worry about the future of the world to overwhelm us.  

Like many others, the uncertainty of the health, social and economic impact of the pandemic has created stress and anxiety for me. I am one of the very lucky ones living in Australia with its strong health system and relatively developed safety net. I have a stable job and I can work from home. I have a house that comfortably have me and my partner working from home, and we have a backyard in which we can still enjoy the outdoors while being physically distant from others. I am an introvert so social distancing is nothing new for me. I am in reasonably good health so that I am hopefully low risk, and my parents, siblings, extended family and friends are reasonably safe. And yet, I still feel stress and anxiety. I really feel for those who are in much less favourable circumstances.
   
One of the things I'm really grateful for is that my workplace has been very good with the situation, being able to keep all of us employed, and emphasising that our health and wellbeing is its number one concern. One of the initiatives in our branch has been for a daily health and wellbeing tip be shared by the senior officers group, of which I am part of. 

The tips have so been great so far, not just in terms of the tips themselves, but also in terms of it being a window into another person's soul and perspective. It's a type of social connection that is beyond simply saying hello (which is also good) and is something more deep and meaningful, which is the kind of social connection we introverts thrive on. 

Before sharing my own tip below, I wanted to reflect on the similarities between coronavirus and climate change. Much has been said about how slowing down the economy will likely reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and demonstrates what can be achieved. Much has also been said about the similarities and differences between the political response to coronavirus and the response to climate change. What we have seen in the previous 4 months (initial reports, denial, acceptance, decisive action) is a super condensed version of how humanity reacts to new crises. Our reaction to the threat of climate change has been spread out for 4 or more decades instead of 4 months, and we have not even gotten to the decisive action stage yet. 

If the politicians are sending our messages that our response to coronavirus is a marathon not a sprint, then what does that say about our response to climate change? That it will be a life-long journey, despite the crazy urgency of the threat. 

In any case, the focus of health and wellbeing in response to coronavirus makes me want to reiterate the focus of health and wellbeing on our individual response to climate change. It is definitely a ultra-marathon, not a sprint, and we need to look after ourselves in this. Taking practical, productive, sustainable steps is useful. But we also need to take a break sometimes. Which leads me to the health and wellbeing tip that I contributed to my team just before the Easter long weekend, set out below. While it is directed at our response to coronavirus, I think it is equally applicable to our efforts to combat climate change.

Thanks everyone for their health and wellbeing tips so far - it's been a pleasure to read :)

One practical tip is that I try not to read any COVID updates until later in the morning or lunchtime. When I do get to it, I try to start off with a good news story – I find the Guardian's 'The Good Place' has some positive stories for these times: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/series/the-good-place. 

Also, I’ve been able to catch up on some books, and it’s led me to ask myself 'What Would Pooh Do?'. This comes from a funny book I’ve been revisiting called the Tao of Pooh, which re-interprets the Winnie the Pooh series through the lens of Taoism. Chapter 2 ('The Tao of Who?') is about how Winnie the Pooh personifies the 'Uncarved Block':

The essence of the principle of the Uncarved Block is that things in their original simplicity contain their own natural power, power that is easily spoiled and lost when that simplicity is changed. … This basic Taoist principle applies not only to things in their natural beauty and function, but to people as well. Or Bears. Which brings us to Pooh, the very Epitome of the Uncarved Block. …

As an illustration of the principle, he may appear a bit too simple at times, but no matter how he may seem to others, Pooh is able to accomplish what he does because he is simpleminded. As any old Taoist walking out of the woods can tell you, simpleminded does not necessarily mean stupid. It's rather significant that the Taoist ideal is that of the still, calm, reflecting 'mirror-mind' of the Uncarved Block, and it's rather significant that Pooh, rather than the thinkers Rabbit, Owl, or Eeyore, is the true hero of Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner…

When you discard arrogance, complexity and a few other things that get in the way, sooner or later you will discover that simple, childlike and mysterious secret known to those of the Uncarved Block: Life is Fun. From the state of the Uncarved Block comes the ability to enjoy the simple and the quiet, the natural and the plain.

One thing I take from this is that, in the face of uncertain and complex challenges that disrupt our lives, it's good to take a breather to enjoy and be grateful for some simple things in our lives. This morning, I made a cup of tea and relished how it warmed me on a fresh Canberra morning. This afternoon, I'll eat some hot cross buns and watch my chickens, marveling at how their lives revolve around a few basic actions - eating, sleeping, pooping, laying and wondering whether or not they should cross the road. And in the future, when physical distancing is a 'distant' memory, I will enjoy the simple act of hugging someone. Peppering the day with a few of these time outs really helps me with dealing with stress or anxiety. This is really just a long way of saying ‘stop and smell the roses’.

Finally, to add to our pet photo collection, attached is a photo of our 2 Golden Girls, Blanche and Rose, going to town on a pile of leaves, caused by cockatoos decimating the neighbour’s elm tree. Blanche is the lighter one and is more adventurous, leading the way, while Rose is the darker one and the one more likely to get caught in a net. My partner and I have yet to decide which one of us are the remaining Golden Girl characters, Dorothy and Sophia.
Hope everyone has a great long weekend :) We all deserve it!

Putting money where your mouth is

In this world, there is always a cost. Our actions have consequences, and nothing comes for free. We've plundered natural resources which has resulted in environmental degradation and human induced climate change. Also, actions to address climate change doesn't come for free. Such actions take time, effort and money. Things won't magically improve if we do not allocate meaningful time, make no effort, and acknowledge that there needs to be some monetary costs to repair what we've done.

Another way of thinking about this is that in this capitalistic world, time, effort and money are indicative of the value was place on things. This means that, when taking action to combat climate change, we need to recognise that time needs to be allocated, energy and effort must be expended, and we need to put our money where our mouth is.

The types of actions that I will talk about in this blog will take up all these things, including money. It may be a little, or it may be a lot. It will also save money in the long run, either directly through less energy costs, or in the fact that the more preventative steps we take now, the less mitigation and adaptive steps we need to take in the future.

So in taking action, we do need to budget some money for our own personal actions. Also, as I said earlier, collective action is even more important, and collective action also required time, effort and money. In this sense, one of the impactful things I can do is donate to organisations that are able to do things that I can't do, are able to do them on a scale I can't achieve, and are able to do those things in an impactful, cost-efficient way.

Addressing climate change is so complex and multifaceted that I don't think one organisation can do everything that is required. Not even one government, which is why collective, multilateral action is required. So, in terms of donations, I don't think you can donate to just one organisation, but you also can't donate to all organisations. With this conundrum, you will have to make a choice about which organisations you want to donate to.

In donating money, it's actually quite a difficult decision. But my key principles are:

• Donate strategically. What are the most important, impactful things that need to be done, and is it getting enough money? Which organisations do these things efficiently and effectively? Donating money to address these gaps can be the most impactful things.
• Assuming that there may be multiple things that need to be done and need to be funded, you want to make sure that the donation does as much as it can. This is why funding something that already has enough money, or will always get enough money, might not be the best way. That's why I try to mix my donations into 3 categories:
• To give to organisations that need that last 10-20% to get the important things done. If these organisations don't get that, then this runs the risk that all the hard work that the other 80-90% funding was all for nothing. That seems like a waste to me.
• To give to organisations doing important things that initial 10-20% to get them going and build momentum. It would be a shame if great ideas and projects never got off the ground because they just didn't get the money at the right time.
• To give to organisations that might not take direct action themselves, but who advocate and change things at a broader policy level, and who build the capacity of other organisations. It is difficult to clearly calculate the effectiveness of advocacy and policy change, but this is important nonetheless.
• Make sure that the funding is clearly additional - that the organisation will not just get the funding elsewhere or that your donation will make a difference. This might be points 1 and 2 above. But it could also be something that is scalable - a donation to plant a tree probably means it is additional, unless the tree planting need or capacity of the organisation or region has already been met.

I'm not going to tell you which issues are most important and to which organisations you should donate. That depends on what you think is important at the time, what matters to you locally, regionally and globally, and the relevant funding context at the time.

I do caution that, some people look at overheads and employment funds. This is interesting approach, but doesn't tell the whole picture. Is what you want for money to go directly to projects? How much of the value and impact of those projects depends on the value add that organisation's workers have? How much capacity building. Policy making? If you want these broader objectives, then perhaps a higher overhead might be justified because it requires people to do the work, and those highly valued people might bring up the overhead. But if you want to give money through the organisation as a conduit, then a lower overhead might be justified.

For me, right now, in the context of bushfires, I think what is most important, most impactful is to reduce deforestation, and increase reforestation. These actions:

• tackle some root (or intermediate) causes of climate change, in the sense that policies that reduce deforestation should go towards reducing demand and consumption of forestry products
• Tackle direct causes of climate change - reducing destruction of forests and encouraging regrowth or new forests
• Support biodiversity which has significant broader environmental benefits

To my mind, funding needs to be provided at the multilateral policy level, as well as at the local level. So I've decided to donate to Rainforest Coalition and Greenfleet. But it's really a personal choice for you, having taken into account the above considerations.

Now to you - what are the organisations that you donate to, and what are the principles that guide your donation decisions?

Addendum: The Celeste Barber issue really highlights that it is super important to understand the organisation that you're directing your donations towards, and how they can/will spend it. While it may be complicated, if you are fundraising for an organisation, you need to do your due diligence and make sure you are accurately representing where the money is going and for what purposes it will be spent.

Addendum 2: Donating to forestry advocacy organisations may also be worthwhile. For example. Friends of the Leadbeater's Possum recently won a huge case against VicForests, and this litigation could potentially lead to significant reductions to, or even a much earlier phase out of, native forestry operations in Victoria. 

Sources:

https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2019/12/2/20976180/climate-change-best-charities-effective-philanthropy

https://www.rainforestcoalition.org/donations/

https://secure.everyaction.com/8bd1II6WKUubdSfmePv7ZA2