The Climate Movement Itself
Olympian Fields of Action Series: Post #3
The First and Most Important Catalytic Source of Transformation: The Climate Movement
The first and most important — indeed, indispensable — Catalytic Source of Transformation is the Climate Movement itself. We are indispensable because we help ensure that the potential of we ourselves and the other three of the Catalytic-4 are achieved so we can play our parts.
As such, growing and improving the Climate Movement is the most strategic thing we can do.
If someone were to ask me for a tag line for the Climate Movement, I would offer something you’ve already seen from me:
We make the impossible possible and the possible actual and the actual beautiful and our future come faster.
As I’ve said in earlier posts, the defining characteristic of someone in the Climate Movement is a sustained commitment to collective action over time to overcome climate change.
We see ourselves as part of, and commit ourselves to, something larger. We join together to make the impossible possible and the possible actual and the actual beautiful as we make our future come faster.
And, as I’ve said, what this larger thing is at its core is a moral movement; the power that comes from this, both knowing and doing what is right, springs from the heart of our movement. This rightness is suffused within the defining characteristic of all Climate Movement Member Athletes. It is what will draw ever-increasing numbers to our cause. Our strength, passion, resilience, depth, dynamism, creativity, staying power, and strategic effectiveness are all empowered from doing what’s right and others seeing that our cause is just. We don’t just want to be right, we want to achieve what’s right.
At the very heart of our being a moral movement is justice (which is why I will have an extensive Series on Hope and Justice). On every one of our Olympian Fields of Action we must be doing at least one of the three actions of justice, and, wherever possible, doing all three: stop bad stuff, set wrong right, and make things better.
Due to the very nature of the climate problem as it exists now, the transformation required is at a scale and speed never before attempted in the history of humanity as we make our future come faster. But while speed is needed, so too is longevity, given the long-term nature of the problem.
We must envision ourselves competing together in sprints and medium and long distances:
100
200
400
4x100 relay
4x400 relay
110 and 400 hurdles
800
1,500
5,000
10,000
the marathon.
Human beings have met many big challenges before, and that gives us hope.
Today we are the hope! We are the ones to make hope happen. We are the ones to drive things forward over the course of our lifetimes in all our Olympian Fields of Action needed at the scale and speed necessary making our future come faster.
We are not sitting around waiting for the future to happen to us. We know what time it is — kairos-climate-time. On our Fields of Action we are striving to make the future we envision as we make the impossible possible and the possible actual and the actual beautiful.
And so it is incumbent upon all of us to grow and improve the Climate Movement into the greatest and most long-lasting social change movement in the history of the world.
In the Climate Action Stadium we are all athletes on the movement-building Field of Action where we help recruit others from the stands and even the TV audience to join our team, our cause. Here we help our team remain passionate, deepen our resolve, and be dynamic and strategic as we create justice and are victorious together.
I have no doubt whatsoever that we will become the greatest and most long-lasting social change movement in the history of the world. Why? Simply because climate impacts will continue to kick our butts, and our ass-whippings will only get worse.
We must.
We can.
We will.
We will not quit the fight. We will strive forward on our fields of action until the victory is won.
So it’s not a matter of if, but when. But the when matters. Sooner is so much better. Sooner will save many from suffering. Sooner will save us and the rest of nature from crossing tipping points we don’t want to imagine. Sooner will mean we will create a just and prosperous sustainability that enhances wellbeing for everyone and everything that much sooner.
We will because we can and we must. We will become the greatest and most long-lasting social change movement in the history of the world sooner because sooner is so much better. The sooner we make our future come faster and the impossible possible and the possible actual and the actual beautiful the better. So join the team!
Remember to check out earlier posts in this Olympian Fields of Action series. If you like this post, please “like,” comment, and share to help spread the word. And thanks for all you’re doing.