This page was created for participants in one of our Climate Conversations. They are our thoughts and feelings on the topic that day and should not be read as advice and may not be factual. You may find the related conversation guide and this resource list helpful if you want to know more about the topic we discussed.
What is happiness to us?
- Emotional enjoyment.
- It’s in your head – it’s personal.
- You can be happy apart from your circumstances.
- It’s physical thing, a feeling.
- Lightness.
- Absence of weight and worry.
- Experience with others
- sharing.
- bonding.
- It’s not possible all the time for humans.
- You can have a very happy person.
- It’s hard to hang on to.
- We chase it.
- Having everything you want or need, both physical comfort and emotional.
- No significant problems. I imagine a tug-of-war. Balance.
- Security.
- Contentment. Appreciate what you have.
- Advertising associates happiness with reward. “Some people deserve happiness.”You deserve it”.
Are joy and fun different to happiness?
Joy
- Joy has more oomph.
- Joy doesn’t last as long.
- Elation.
Fun
- Don’t force it.
- Different things are fun for different people.
- Letting go.
- Fun is less essential.
Our thoughts and feelings after the conversation
- I can really relate to this. I’m more optimist than pessimist.
- The idea that happiness does not depend on material things really excites me.
- I’m quite pessimistic. I’m a worrier. I wouldn’t describe myself as a happy person. This has been a useful reminder. You can’t make yourself have fun but you can take positive steps to allow it to happen.
- It’s been nice remembering moments of happiness.
- I liked it. You can be happy without it being superficial.
- Not being materialistic can be fun.
How are happiness, fun and joy related to the climate crisis?
- XR encourage fun and creativity. They have a regenerative culture to make action sustainable.
- Remembering what it’s all for.
- – what we’ve already lost.
- culture and possessions and always needing more is a cause of the crisis. Chasing happiness through consumerism.
- loving things is a reason to act.
- There’s risk in taking action, and risk-taking can be a source of fun (but not everyone enjoys risk).
- Taking part in an action like a march can make you happy:
- bonding with other people.
- connection to something bigger than yourself is a source of happiness.
- commonality.
- games and fun can emerge – an example of 3 conga lines forming
- It doesn’t need to be complicated or technical
- low-carbon.
- utopian.
- not consumerism.
- We need to show people that being concerned about the climate crisis isn’t anti-fun. Counter the stereotype of activism being about:
- abstinence
- scolding
- guilt
- The stereotype makes it easier for the other person but puts you in a box.
- Shuts people up. I don’t speak up because I don’t want to be stereotyped.
- What would happen if when the subject of climate came up we didn’t come back with our grief, anger etc, but with happiness?
- We could be happier living in line with our values.
- For example, charity shopping enabled getting clothes without the guilt, and was fun.
- Not feeding an addiction but getting genuine pleasure from the activity.