The Crisis and Us
The interrelated global crises are overwhelming us all beyond measure. In principle and in theory, we are willing to take action against the ecological and social crises of our time. However, with our conventional ways of thinking, we apparently tend to perpetuate these crises.
Enduring Uncertainty
Speed and optimization are also among the ideals of our society today. We tend to want to find a solution to every problem as quickly as possible. We want our solutions to work and to offer us security, because the unknown frightens us. But our tendency to solve every problem quickly rather than sustainably is also part of the problem. We should use our uncertainties and fears to look at things more calmly and more closely. We could learn to deal with uncertainty constructively.
“Uncertainty is appropriate in the affairs of this world. Certainty about what we can touch and see is rarely justified, if ever. Throughout the ages—from our earliest ancestors onward—what certainty has remained? And yet we cannot conceive of new certainties fast enough; we seek their comfort. Certainty is the easy way.”
Billy Knapp in *The Ballad of Buster Scruggs*
If we set out slowly and persistently and learn to find our footing in uncertainty, we can develop new, more sustainable solutions and find entirely new questions for many old answers.
Beyond the Imagination
In many aspects of our daily lives, we are thus part of the crisis, and we are increasingly realizing just how deeply our capitalist, economically liberal culture—as well as our daily thoughts and actions—are shaped by archaic fears about our own precarious existence. Postactivism therefore seeks to open up spaces for thought beyond the obvious, in order to shed a little more light on the darkness of our entanglements in these often-overlooked areas of our thinking. For it is precisely these areas that can open up new perspectives for us to develop fresh approaches to addressing social and ecological issues.-Postactivism means not only protesting against external injustices but also becoming more aware of one’s own responsibility at all levels. Post-activism means questioning one’s own ingrained consumption habits and protesting against oneself as well.
-Postactivism also means consciously protesting for something; sharpening our focus on the current situation and building on the numerous existing alternatives to the status quo. In this regard, postactivism is closely linked in substance to the ideas of a post-growth society.
-We don’t need an increasingly fragmented, hyper-complex discourse about what the problem is. After all, even such a discourse can quickly become a factor that makes it difficult for us to arrive at viable strategies and decisions on the important issues. We know what the problem is. Postactivism also returns to simplicity and a clear overview.
-Postactivism assumes that the current ecological crisis is ultimately not a question of blame, even if we humans have caused it through our actions. Post-activism understands that everything is interconnected and that life on our planet is sacred.
-Postactivism understands that an ecological crisis cannot be solved through resource-intensive “green” technologies and then turned into an economic success.
-Postactivism does not necessarily believe in the power of the powerful. Rather, post-activism believes in the power of self-empowerment. We are all agents of cultural change; we are powerful in the small things.
-Postactivism incorporates not only empirical, scientific perspectives but also contradictory and artistic viewpoints, indigenous worldviews, intuitive and spiritual techniques, and recognizes the power of poetry.
-And postactivism means something else quite crucial: Given the gravity of the global crisis, we should definitely call upon that invisible force that has surely helped us all out of a tricky mess more than once: the healing and empowering power of humor.
Dwan
It is increasingly dawning on us that our prosperity is built on the backs of others and that it is stolen. It is dawning on us that our privileged position comes with a special responsibility. It is dawning on us that in the future we will have to share with others and that we should learn to do without—and to recognize something positive in that very act of doing without. Every living being likes to live a good and comfortable life. But we must stop destroying the foundations of our existence for the sake of our often senseless and, at times, grotesque comforts. Consistently pursuing this goal is a challenge, but it is also something truly beautiful—something that is already becoming a reality in many parts of society, and something we should look forward to.
