Who Do We Choose to Be?, Second Edition: Facing Reality, Claiming Leadership, Restoring Sanity

by Margaret J. Wheatley

If global leaders were committed to preparing people rather than confusing us about climate catastrophes that already are directly impacting us, if they used their power and influence for the public good, not for personal gain, they would engage us in mitigation efforts to prepare for what is happening as climate tipping points continue tipping. They would abandon the senseless boundaries of nation-states, they would see the insanity of grasping for personal profits. As true leaders, they would engage with one another and engage with us citizens—we caring and creative human beings—in mitigation efforts to prepare for this undeniable future. But these global leaders, as in every collapsing civilization, will continue to battle desperately for their own needs and safety instead of noticing the destructive forces already wreaking havoc in their nations. We cannot expect them to change, or for mitigation efforts to happen at the global level. We have to commit to understanding what’s happening, to use the lens of science, to strengthen our faith in people’s capacity to rise to the challenge, and proceed to do what we can, where we are, with what we have.