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A few years ago, while enjoying a Xmas evening jolly at the local ‘Big House’ I delivered a version of ‘While Shepherds Watched . . .’ to the tune of The Laughing Policeman – complete with the belly-laugh chorus. The vicar clearly didn’t know where to put himself – which is interesting because all of those carols and songs are full of ‘joyful – merry – triumphant – exultation – rejoice! . . . you get the picture. So why, when it comes to the crunch, are churchmen so bleedin’ miserable; I mean, just listen to them droning and moaning on about the best thing that’s ever happened to humankind (allegedly). Bring me joy, vicar!
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While I don’t do New Year Resolutions, I was taken by the final scene of the recent series of State of Happiness (from somewhere on the BBC in the run-up to the holiday). If you don’t know what I’m talking about / never heard of it, this was the third series of a Norwegian drama (Lykkeland) about the development of the oil industry in Norway, from 1969 up to, almost, the present day. Yes, really.
It’s won loads of accolades and well worth the watch. You don’t need to know Norwegian – though it would probably help.
Anyway – the final scene of the latest/last (?) series ends with one of the original characters, now a grandfather and retiring CEO, asking his granddaughter why she wants to create her own business – she’s mid-teens, I guess. She says: ‘Because it’s supposed to be FUN, isn’t it?’
I paraphrase – but only by a bit.
It’s supposed to be FUN – let’s live with that as we go through the portals of the New Year into the unknown terrors of 2025 – like Gandalf and the Fellowship of The Ring going into the Mines of Moria . . . OK – that didn’t end well – at least, not in the short term but it all came good in the end didn’t it! So, as brave Frodo almost said; ‘I will take the fun into 2025, though I do not know the way.’
Of course, there’s plenty NOT to be happy about, including the return of our orange friend across the pond, with his very own billionaire mind-bender – and that’s why we need to be like Frodo . . . carrying our JOY, though we don’t know the way..
(an advisory note: never trust a guy whose company logo wouldn’t look out of place on a military collar . . . because, believe me on this, one day it WILL be on a military collar – and on all the flags and banners along Pennsylvania Avenue.)
Meanwhile, let’s do something positive about the climate crisis.
As you know, I’m committed to Good Lighting – this is a joyous thing that brooks no argument. But I’m also committed to a Sustainable Future – and that tends to bring all manner of grief with it. There is no fun in being po-faced about dealing with carbon reduction; we don’t like being told what to do; we don’t like doing less and we don’t like changing our habits. And yet – and yet – and yet.
Consider this: it seems that weight loss requires little more than mainlining Wegovy or Ozempic (other substances are available). It’s not true, of course; weight loss requires a positive approach to diet and exercise and we have to take control of ourselves for that to happen; Otherwise, Big Pharma will simply pocket the profits and leave us to our ruin.
Let’s not fall into a similar ‘magic pill’ trap when it comes to addressing carbon reduction because this has to come from us. The New Weather Institute ( https://www.newweather.org/ ) has published a pamphlet ‘Unprepared: the Case for Control of Civil Contingency Plans’ in which the authors acknowledge that our elected authorities are sadly unprepared for what’s coming at us. They say:
‘Every neighbourhood should have a hub, underpinned by a resourced local network that helps each community in the twin tasks of facing a new era of disasters and working on the rapid transitions to prevent them, while making life better for all of us in the process’.
This is about rejuvenating the voluntary spirit of people who live and work together and creating new, community ventures. Sounds like fun.
On the personal front – and this usually challenges the souls of the mightiest climate activists – this house has taken a lifetime pledge not to fly.
Now – I’m fully aware that, while I work in a global industry I don’t have to report to a head office somewhere else on the globe and I have little/no interest in taking on projects in Dubai (been there and didn’t like the Ozymandian vibe of a city that simply shouldn’t be there). But think about the opportunities for fun and adventure that arise from imagining that airplanes don’t exist – because one day in the not-too-distant future they probably won’t, so why not get our heads around that prospect today!
A few years ago (where does the time go) we wrote about the principle of Slow Design and how good it would be for our emotional health if we could only embrace a bit of slowing-down. Well, slowing down doesn’t necessarily mean doing less for longer; perhaps there’s a way of doing MORE for LONGER if only we can connect the destination dots. This very week there was a report that the collective of commuting professionals is making better use of their travelling time on public transport. Who knew!!
Now – yes, at the moment that also includes logging-in at airports, but – let’s face it – there’s nothing much comfort in the overall flying experience, but to take a seat on a trin and settle down to several hours of steady progress, that does it for me. And maybe – just maybe – if more of us take to the rails we might convince the operators (all eventually to be nationalised and therefore owned by you and me) to get back to the standards of service that we knew in decades long gone; buffets, trolleys, even Pullman Cars – oh, be still my beating heart!
There’s this thing called the internet that means that most business meetings can be done from the comfort of our duvets . . . er, our home offices. And think of the money that could be saved by reducing executive travel to those sessions where the swapping of DNA somewhere else on the planet is essential.
This doesn’t mean that I don’t want to visit manufacturing plants around the place – I just need to see a bit more imagination on the part of my hosts. My perfect visit involves taking a sailing vessel to the East Coast of USA (avoiding the X-rated security forces of the Orange One and his billionaire mind-bender; picking up a Harley Davidson Road King and riding across to Vancouver – or somewhere there or thereabouts. Now THAT’S Slow Design.
And if you feel that this fantasy has the smack of hypocrisy about it, you’re probably right. Ho hum.
. But back on Planet Earth, this is about personal travel. The stats tell us that only 10% of flights are taken for business but, because of that ‘executive’ tag that we attach to ourselves, the extra room that enables us to stretch our legs means that business travel is about three times more carbon intensive than the ordinary folk who turned right. Those ordinary folk, heading off on their (our!) holidays make up 63% of air flights – and that’s where we can make some of those challenging – yet very interesting – and potentially joyful decisions on how and where to take our holidays.
As I say, start from the premise that there are no airplanes and go from there. Last summer my brother-in-law and his partner went to a weeding in Athens, travelling from Devon to the Greek capital without once leaving the ground, apart from the obvious need to get across the sea – like bold Odysseus!. And how much more exciting is that, getting close and personal to the Mediterranean, rather than looking down on it from a plane window. What do you think you are – some kind of Olympian?? Ferries . . .so much more amazing – and REAL travel.
Anyway – the story goes on and we do what we can, where we can, in the ways that we can. And that’s how we get through the current mess – with joy and laughter!
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