The way of active hope – Searching for good life in the age of global environmental crisis

András Takács-Sánta

The way of active hope – Searching for good life in the age of global environmental crisis

“We live in times unprecedented in human history: in the age of global environmental crisis. Regarding this crisis, two dominant social attitudes can be recognized. According to the first, we should not call into question the fundamentals of our civilization. Instead, experts and decision-makers will be able to solve the crisis – we only need alternative capitalists, green political parties and green technologies. According to the second attitude, we are already doomed and the unavoidable near-term collapse of our civilization will inevitably be followed by a dystopian world – we are unable to change the course of our civilization, only adaptation remains.

Both of these dominant attitudes are sure recipes for catastrophe. Hence, we urgently need new ones. On the one hand, we should call into question the fundamentals of our civilization and build a new, ecological civilization. On the other hand, while adaptation is essential, we should not discard mitigating actions. I outline a third attitude called the way of active hope. According to this attitude, our current crisis is not just a huge threat, but also a huge chance to build a better world. Perhaps the most important tenet of this attitude is that voluntary simplicity and focusing on connections instead of consumption can lead us to a better life.”

So, András Takács-Sánta aims to show our society a way out of the ecological crisis and to offer an alternative to the vision of eco-catastrophe. He does not believe in solutions that proclaim the end of the world, but rather considers the path of active hope to be the key to our future. According to him, the collapse can be stopped, and it is not a problem if our civilization is radically transformed, here is the opportunity to build a better world.

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