We know that climate change is happening, but our politics focuses elsewhere and our lifestyles remain the same. Real change means engaging our deepest values, and the Buddhist reflections on mortality, the world’s imperfection karma and the precious opportunity we have can help
Climate Change and the Four Reminders
2018 is set to be the hottest year on record. Most experts agree that global warming is a reality, and in South Korea the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is finalising its guidance on limiting carbon emissions. Meanwhile, a committee of MPs this week criticised our addiction to buying cheap clothes and then throwing them away, regardless of the environmental impact.
In each case, we’re personally implicated. The IPCC’s proposals mean changing how our societies work and that needs political support; and the MPs comments on fashion connect the environment with the lifestyle choices we make each day.
And yet, even though we understand the dangers facing the planet, more immediate issues generally magnetise our politics. And while most of us know we could live more sustainably, as a society we often seem to be heading in the wrong direction. In the case of fashion, for example, we buy twice as many clothes per person as we did a decade ago.
When I look at my own behaviour, I find that blandishments about living more simply don’t really prompt me to make lasting changes. Those only come from my underlying values, and to keep them in mind I reflect regularly on what Buddhism calls ‘The Four Reminders’.
The first is mortality – the fact that my death is inevitable and I don’t know when it will happen. That stops me short.
Then I reflect that the world is imperfect. The plans and ambitions that preoccupy me are all very well, but things generally don’t work out as I plan and even when they do, my attention quickly moves on to the next thing. Deep down, I know that lasting happiness comes from deeper sources of meaning.
The third reflection is what Buddhism calls karma. I reflect that the person I am today grows, in many ways, from how I’ve acted in the past. And what I do now will shape my future self. This means I’m responsible for who I am and my effect on the world.
The fourth reflection follows from the others. If my time is limited, the world is imperfect and my actions have important effects, it follows that I have a precious opportunity right now to make a difference.
None of us can solve the world problems; we’re all just doing our best. But staying in touch with our values means reminding ourselves of them. The Four Reminders let me ask myself, ‘Given my needs and the needs of the world, what is my task today?’
