By Tony Hagen • editor@newjersey.sierraclub.org
We talk a lot about protecting the environment, and by that I mean trees, air, water, and so on. There’s the inner environment to protect, also.
The mental state of many Americans is perhaps in the worst condition it has ever been. Our digital devices, the portable environments of our vehicles, and our remote office spaces allow us to pretend that most people just don’t exist. At home, people tune others out and plug into video games and movies, or follow news streams that tell them whatever they want to believe, not necessarily what’s really happening. Increasingly, you cannot get a human on the telephone.
We already know that the mental health treatment community is overwhelmed by what is going on. Such problems as depression and anxiety are not the only mental health issues we need to worry about. The anti-social trend is already the cause of a heap of trouble. In online forums, anger and hostility are rampant. On the highways, people drive insanely fast and cut off other drivers and do not seem to care whether they get into accidents or not.
The Guardrails Are Gone
In the old days, when people had more physical interaction with one another, there was still a lot of craziness about, but tempers and other mental states could be moderated by the calming influence of proximity to others. Now, it seems that things can spiral out of control without any intervening barriers.
Even with the isolation that increasingly separates us all, I believe an individual’s mental landscape does matter to the larger population. Now, millions of people live and work almost completely alone. The coming AI/robot revolution will exacerbate that trend. But the gloom of millions of people suffering privately will infect us all. Hatred and selfishness will rip this country apart as automation reinforces the message that we don’t need others.
We do need others more than we realize—more than television sets, private jets, or big houses. We do need to bolster the communal mental environment. We can do this by treating one another with more respect. We can start by engaging constructively with people so that their needs are met and their rights are not violated. We can continue by reforming our own thoughts and attitudes toward others. This way we reinforce a positive mental environment from the inside and outside.
On one level, people are distinctly different, and relating to one another can be difficult. Some went to Harvard Business School, and their minds are full of demand curves and efficiency targets. Others grew up in the livestock farming business and may have little tolerance for polished shoes and white tablecloths.
On another level, we’re all exactly the same. We’re young and strong and then old and sick. We strive for food, shelter, and family. We all get a chance to grieve over loss.
We can find common ground for rebuilding the communal mental environment. It surely is decaying at the same rate as the natural world. It isn’t widely accepted now, but I do believe that we depend on both for our survival, as a species and as individuals. Cleaning up our minds and cleaning up the natural environment should be dual objectives, for everyone’s sanity and future security.