A couple of weeks back I was having a conversation with someone at my co-working space here in Ericeira, Portugal. We got to talk about the book club and they were asking me what topic we’re currently on. When I mentioned ‘Kindness’ in the context of climate solutions they looked at me surprised “Isn’t that a bit naive?”. I didn’t know what to respond in the moment so just shrugged it off, but it got me thinking. Looking at the news and what we see currently happening in the world it is easy to fall into despair. It is easy to give up hope and just follow the “We’re doomed.” mentality. It is easy to be cynical and live by the “All humans are inherently selfish.” mantra. It’s easy to say things are bad and they will never change no matter what we do. But what requires strength, hope and bravery is to keep the faith. To believe and fight for a better future for everyone. To stay soft and open and receptive despite everything seeming to fall apart wherever we look. It requires resilience to recognise things need to change and trying to make an impact even when you might never see the outcome of your actions. This newsletter is dedicated to everyone who is doing their best even when it feels like a drop in the ocean.
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Check out this month’s community Notion document on the topic of kindness. And if you have something you would like to add to the document, please do, it’s open to everyone.
This month’s book club take aways: Humankind - A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman
The news are a powerful ‘nocebo’
We have constant access to an endless stream of fear and powerlessness inducing content. Unfortunately our brains are hardwired to respond more to negative headlines than positive. It’s called negativity bias – which explains the focus on everything that’s bad in the world. Doom sells.“If you make a film about a man kidnapping a woman and chaining her to a radiator for five years – something that has probably happened once in history – it’s called a searingly realistic analysis of society. If I make a film like Love Actually, which is about falling in love, and there are about a million people falling in love in Britain today, it’s called a sentimental presentation of an unrealistic world.” – Richard Curtis
Our view of humanity is skewed
The constant supply of negative news alters our perception and creates bias. Every single one of us holds biases that have been instilled in us through our upbringing, family, culture and even education. The more aware we are of our own biases the more we can consciously interact with others.
We have been lied to. A lot.
Do you remember hearing about the Stanford Prison Experiment in school? Or the case of Kitty Genovese? Have you read Lord of the Flies? The actual happenings in all of these stories are vastly different from what we have been taught and a lot of those cases have been debunked years ago, it’s just that the truth wasn’t sensational enough to make the news.Humans need to play
When was the last time you did something simply because you enjoyed doing it? Not because it made money, contributed to something or needed doing? When was the last time you explored something without an agenda or goal but simply for the pleasure of it? Humans have an innate desire to play, however the current systems in place keep us in tight boxes with not much room for movement – literally.The best antidote to hate, division and conflict is contact and exposure
The less exposed we are to others the more afraid and prejudiced we are of them. Countless studies have been conducted that showed the more people from different backgrounds and cultures mingle and connect the less division there is. A great example of this is the Human Library project.
Our perception of the world is a self-fulfilling prophecy
Ever heard of the Pygmalion effect? In 1963 psychologist Robert Rosenthal did an experiment in which he divided ordinary lab rats into two cages – one was labelled ‘smart rats’, the other ‘dumb rats’. He asked his students to perform experiments with both groups and couldn’t believe when the supposedly ‘smart rats’ where performing three times better than the ‘dumb’ ones. They were all the same but he found that the students were handling the ‘smart rats’ in more gentle ways than the ‘dumb’ ones which affected their behaviour in the experiments.
Crisis brings out the best in people, not the worst
We have been led to believe that in the face of disaster and conflict us humans revert to our brutish natures and only think about ourselves and our own survival. It turns out that the opposite is the case. In times of crisis, like recently during the pandemic, mutual aid thrives. Because without community we can’t survive.
Join the next book club: Secrets of a Vanishing Country by Pelin Turgut
For next month’s letter ‘L’, we decided to focus in on language and listening. We strongly believe storytelling is one of our most powerful tools in our battle with the climate crisis. Especially when it comes to raising awareness and education. So for this month we have teamed up with Pelin Turgut, a Turkish-British author coach and incredible storyteller. We’re not only going to read her book ‘Secrets of a Vanishing Country’ – she is also going to join us for a writing workshop during our meet up!
About the book: A country is mysteriously fading at its edges. Deep in the northern mountains, a group of storytellers congregate in a strange hotel. Their task is to tell forgotten stories. A youthful giant who sleeps under Istanbul, a tiny mute girl who emerges from the Black Sea, a melancholic billboard pin-up who speaks. There are many worlds in the Vanishing Country and they weave through each other like threads in a giant tapestry. The book evokes myth and fabulism in the fabric of contemporary Istanbul to remind us that places have spirits and humans need stories to remember who they are.
If you have been following our book club for a while and you were waiting for a good one to join – this is it! Tickets are donation based.
Community feature: Shalyn Wilkins
Every month we are highlighting a member of our community and what they are working on and interested in. This month we are highlighting Shalyn Wilkins who loves cycling and together with Adventure Uncovered/Brake the Cycle organises epic sustainable cycling adventures. Read more below:
Hi Shalyn! Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Helloo! I’m Shalyn, I’m based in Bristol and love having access to the outdoors. When I’m not on an adventure I’m usually planning the next one!
What made you join our book club?
Being a part of the ATF book club over the past year has given me a greater appreciation for the world we live in, we’ve covered topics from the design of social systems to the worms and grubs in our soil. I’ve loved hearing from people all over the world and always look forward to seeing some new and familiar faces each month.
Tell us a little bit more about what you’re doing with Brake the Cycle.
My main passion is cycling - I help to run sustainably minded cycle trips in the UK with Brake The Cycle. We’ve got 5 trips planned for 2022 including the Coast to Coast, Brecon Beacons and a tour of the Scottish Coast and Castles. The best thing for me is the brilliant people that join each trip - I always cycle away feeling inspired.
If you would join one of the adventures this year, check them out here.
Thank you for reading this month’s newsletter. A special shoutout to all the new faces that joined our last meet up! If you want to join us for one of our upcoming events, make sure you follow us on Eventbrite or Meet Up. If you have any questions please add a comment to this post, DM or send us an email to hello@andthefuture.com
Lisa & Tash ✨