[Ancient]

This post is about doing what you love, what fulfills you – in a time when our actions, but also our inactions, are causing major damage to our world and harming our fellow earthlings, paving the path towards not just our own extinction. For those familiar with the Kardechev scale – humanity is speeding towards 'The Great Filter.' I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas on this. Do you continue doing what you love and what fulfills you? (as long as it's not adding fuel to this fire, of course) Or do you put your own interests aside to aid more concretely in the fight to save this planet?

The science is clear; the situation is quite dire. Global warming is not showing any sign of slowing down. Forests are being cut down at alarming rates, and the human population continues to rise – further accelerating the greenhouse emissions and exploiting our natural resources.

I sincerely admire and applaud past and present people who devote their lives to a just cause, standing up against what's being done to our only home, to injustice and inequality – sometimes with grim personal sacrifices as a consequence. I'm also puzzled by my own selfish creative desires and aspirations. Doing what I love doesn't come as easy as it used to. Is it justifiable to spend your time on things not directly correlated to stopping what's being done to our planet?

Son: "Dad, what did you do when you found out that earth was heading towards a tipping point, from which there's no turning back?"

Dad: "Son, I made a movie about aliens."

Son: "What?"

Dad: "Mhmm... That was fun."

Son: "But... but..."

Dad: "No 'buts' my son, I'm free to spend my time as I chose."

We all have our thing, a connection to something that speaks to us beyond words – calling on us if you will. Not for the sake of a great purpose or mission. Just for the sake of it. For me, this thing is telling stories. For you, this thing could literally be anything. That thing which is not a thing but more a way of life, a process in which we lose ourselves for a moment – in a good way, is something deeply spiritual and sacred. Deprived of this, whatever it is, life is dull and empty for reasons I quite don't understand, and it is, for this reason, I'm perplexed by these people who devote their lives to something that seems to be so uncreative and unfulfilling on a personal level. Should I finish my novel, or should I go and save our forests from being cut down?

I used to believe my stories could add value to people's lives, just as others' art and works have inspired me and added tremendous value to my life. And maybe they can, but you wouldn't tell stories around the campfire if the entire camp was burning. You'd run around with buckets, desperately trying to save your own and your tribes' home.

I was watching a documentary about Greta Thunberg the other day. There was a scene where she was sitting in the sailboat, sailing across the Atlantic towards the US to speak at the UN. The wind was howling as it gripped the sail – rocking the sailboat from side to side with water splashing up against the window behind her. She cried as she spoke into her recorder.

"There's so much responsibility. I don't want to have to do this. This is too much for me. However, I know how important this is – what's at stake."

I cried too. I really felt for her. Deep down, she just wants to be a girl, doing what she loves, which is being around horses, among many things. Not saving the planet. But she feels it's necessary to make the sacrifice because no one else will do it for her. Now, I haven't achieved anything remotely close to what she has when it comes to saving the world – but I understand what she meant with those words.

Take this with a grain of salt; I'm sure you understand what I'm referring to here. Is it justifiable to spend your time on things not directly correlated to stopping what's being done to our planet?

What are your thoughts on this?

PS; FYI I also posted this thread on Reddit before I thought of posting it here.