“If Wrigley’s can advertise to get people to chew gum, why shouldn’t I advertise to get them to chew good ideas?
Paramahansa Yogananda
CLIMATE CHANGE
IN
MIND
by Phillip Maiwald
“What if the way we respond to the crisis
is part of the crisis?”
Báyò Akómoláfé
For years I have been thinking about climate change, the poly, perma or meta-crisis that underlies all these crises and I am pleased that it is apparently possible to do so without becoming depressed. If you deal intensively with climate change and its side issues from different perspectives, you start to develop a feeling for these phenomena in their entirety at some point, a kind of subjective overview. At some point you can then describe a few things for yourself as “clear” or at least clearer. For me, these are now the following points:
- Climate change in its complexity cannot be explained or grasped using scientific methods. (To be fair, I have to say that in my world, nothing can be explained by scientific methods alone). Modern sciences such as microbiome research or astrophysics and quantum physics reduce our understanding of the complexity of ecological systems more than they guide us. We need expanded possibilities of understanding. “Only the unimaginative take refuge in reality, and are crushed by it like billiards,” is how the writer Arno Schmidt laconically summarized this mechanism.
- We will not be able to confront, mitigate or solve the complex and intertwined crises of our time with our usual ideas and approaches. Particularly absurd in this context is the idea that we can remain in our reductionist logic, maintain our accustomed standards of living and discourses and counter the ecological crises with the technical possibilities of a New Green Deal or similar, without having to fundamentally change our attitude towards nature – of which we are, after all, a part. (This rather mechanical view is, by the way, a typically male view, if you want to follow this gender-specific cliché).
- It is possible to understand the causes of the man-made part of the ecological crisis if we try to understand man with all his fears, because our fear is ultimately the cause of all those ways of acting that have brought us to this crisis: from the time of colonization through the industrial revolution to our high-tech, globalized present.
What is postactivism?
Philosopher Bayo Akomolafe formulated the idea of postactivism between 2015 and 2016.
He originally referenced feminist author and historian of science Donna Haraways and her descriptions of a compost heap. Akomolafe took the idea of a “compost activism” as his starting point, but subsequently shortened this conceptualization to the term “postactivism”.
Akomolafe first circumscribes the concept of (com)postactivism as an entirely open and ephemeral principle, and thus fundamentally rejects a simple definition of this term. He speaks much more of mycelial entanglements, of transatlantic slave expeditions, intertwined crossroads and encounters. The concept of the postactivist is inspired in its concept by indigenous worldviews and by Yoruba Black Studies. He also positions the concept in a world of incomprehensible dimensions of space and time in terms of modern scientific findings of holobiont research, astro- and quantum physics. Akomolafe exemplarily places climate change in relation to this idea of postactivism. He thus places the crisis in a very broad context, and takes his consideration a step beyond this framework by paraphrasing the crisis as an advent in the sense of Quentin Meillassoux; as a kind of epiphanic event, the entrance of something messianic into our lives. This does not at all mean that a higher power has planned the downfall of civilization and that we humans, as unfree beings, should submit to the fate of an angry God that has been predetermined for us; exactly the opposite is meant. These mysthical dimensions form the philosophical backbone of a postactivism that thus also accounts for the spiritual aspects of a hyper complex reality.
Akomolafe’s idea of postactivism invites us to an unusual discourse in terms of cultural philosophy that can enable us to see the present crisis as something completely different from what we are used to from a rational, scientific perspective.
It allows us to connect to ancient stories and energies, and thus helps us to remain emotional capable of action in confronting such a crisis, instead of losing ourselves in confusing number games and statistics of a biologistic narrative, in lethargy, sadness, or anger.
This approach is salutary, for our task now more than ever is to find our way emotionally, for the time being, in this situation of global crisis that is new to us. Following Akomolafe’s views is in this sense a stabilizing experience, an exercise in much-invoked holistic vision and resilience.
Postactivism and its practicality
Postactivism need not remain a theoretical construct; postactivism is quite practical and can be adapted to other fields, such as that of human rights or nuclear disarmament issues. Postactivism, as I understand it in relation to ecological problem areas, is not afraid to be less connectable and, if necessary, to position itself on the sidelines. For the time being, it is not about winning social majorities.
- Postactivism considers the extent of the crisis in its full scope and begins to do or refrain from doing something on a small scale. Postactivism knows the power but also the entanglement of the individual in the ecological crisis.
- Postactivism is not in a hurry, but trusts and has patience without having an immediate solution for every issue. Postactivism is not loud and angry, but friendly and confident.
- Postactivism abandons the erroneous dualistic view of having to fight a hostile adversary such as global warming or a virus. Postactivism readily dispenses with terminology historically borrowed from warfare and the military.
- Postactivism understands that the ecological crisis is ultimately not a matter of blame, even though we humans caused the crisis through our actions. Postactivism understands that everything is interconnected and that the life of our planet is sacred.
- Postactivism understands that you can’t solve an ecological crisis with resource-intensive, green technologies and still turn it into an economic success.
- Postactivism does not get lost in the intellectual discourse of the various scientific disciplines for its own sake, but prioritizes comprehensive ecological change in all areas of life. Postactivism, for all the complexity of life, returns to the simple, the practical, and the overview.
- Postactivism does not believe in the power of the powerful. Rather, postactivism believes in the power of self-empowerment. We are all shapers of cultural change.
- Postactivism rejects a narrowing to an issue around CO2 and knows about a world beyond numbers. On the contrary, postactivism is aware of the dangers of one-sided scientific interpretations and discourses based on avoidably calculable quantities and statistically provable facts.
- Postactivism incorporates artistic perspectives, indigenous worldviews, intuitive and spiritual techniques to complement scientific views, and recognizes the power of poetry.
- Postactivism is ultimately agreeing with the suffering of the world, with our fears, needs and the dark colors of life, because all these things are part of the world and part of ourselves. This thought does not mean that it is not important to do everything in our power to alleviate and avoid any suffering.
What form of protest do we need?
Despite all the merits of classical activism, in view of the ecological and social crisis, it must be noted today that this activism, which has in part become bourgeois, must be overcome. Cosmetic activism, which always strives to be socially and politically compatible, is actually not prepared to really change the existing conditions, even if the self-image of these initiatives may be completely different. This is especially true when we consider the positive effects of conventional activism in the context of rebound effects, tipping points and self-accelerating processes in nature. We are facing almost the same problems today as we have since the 1980s and have made little progress in the last 40 years with regard to the state of our planet. On the contrary, many things have worsened and we have obviously simply procrastinated.
Post-activism – as I understand it – therefore poses the question of what form of protest, what forms of resistance and also what form of reality we actually need today.
It makes perfect sense to return to simplicity in some areas of life, to refuse to consume and to do more with our own hands again. What of our cherished habits do we need to throw overboard, what can we do without and what do we as a society need to rigorously ban? We cannot continue to expand the Internet in rural areas and save the climate at the same time. We need a very fundamental change in all areas of life.
Another key question is how we can organize ourselves to work together. We can join together in decentralized regional or district-based networks and start to practice working together in communities. In the age of individualism, it is anything but easy to come to an understanding without petty objections. Trying to understand your counterpart, enduring compromises and creating something together is an art that is worth learning more and more. The artist Joseph Beuys called it working on social sculpture. Our motivation could be a deeper self-awareness and investing in our own personality always promises a deeper experience of reality and happiness.
It is undoubtedly possible to change something, nothing is without alternative or even static. In addition to regional commitment, it is also important to think about the really big, utopian adjustments, because the only utopian thing we should not seek refuge in is an unimaginative “business as usual”.
