The applicability of the saying ‘how long is a piece of string’ when trying to unravel the mysteries of life, the universe and everything in it is one of life’s truisms. This saying holds fast when thinking about contentment in this era of anthropogenic change. Change is a given in the natural world and our human experiences. It can elicit a stress response along a continuum of emotions, both positive and negative. Planetary changes, within this anthropogenic era typically elicit strong negative and unpleasant emotions: despair, anger, frustration, hopelessness and anxiety (Soutar & Wand, 2022).
Contentment is an emotion experienced in the moment and has been described since antiquity by cultures, disciplines, philosophers, religious figures and scriptures as a sense of completeness, of feeling connected to self and others (Cordaro et al., 2016). Secular psychology describes contentment as ‘the sum of all existence and is perceived to be whole, regardless of whether the present experience is pleasant or unpleasant (Cordaro et al., 2016, cited by Knabb et al., 2021, p. 325). When we unconditionally accept the present, a feeling of completeness and subsequently contentment arises (Cordaro et al., 2016). Intense and frequent climate emergencies are part of our daily lives and our communities. Being content in this ‘new normal’ sounds impossible and more like a passive acceptance of our powerlessness to stop the destruction of our planet.
Humans for centuries have experienced a contented state by activating a connection to self, others, spiritual beings and the natural world and cultivating reason and calmness. Christians feel contented when they feel that they ‘love one another’ (New International Version, 2011, John 13:34-35). A Mahayana Buddhist would feel contented if they successfully followed the Bodhisattva path of compassion towards others, by helping to alleviate the suffering of others and their progression to Nirvana (Reat, 1994), with Theravada Buddhists experiencing contentment as they progress closer to Nirvana – ‘This is peace; this is exalted, the calming of all mental formations, the forsaking of all attachments, the ending of desire, absence of passion, extinction, nibbana.’ (Anguttara Nikaya,3:32). An ancient Stoic would feel contented if they were successfully ‘taking care of the relationships both the natural and acquired, child, father, as a brother or sister, citizen, man, woman, neighbour, companion, ruler or being ruled’ (Epictetus, c100BCE). To achieve these, an ancient Stoic would see it necessary to be calm and act in accordance with nature, ‘What then have I need of? …to be calm, to have a mind in accordance with nature, to not have an agitated mind’ (Epictetus, c100BCE).
Helping the planet to thrive is possible whilst feeling contented. Being calm is critical for reasoning and action (being aware of what would help, how to do it and then actually do it). We are content, when we have done our best to help ourselves, others and the planet to have a better life. When we are not calm, we attend to what is important to our highly activated mindsets and associated feelings, making us blind to all else, self, others and the planet.
Strategies for contentment:
- Pause and
surround yourself with nature, touch the earth, share your breath and breathe deeply to reduce physical tension and to be calm. - When calm drop your dominant mindsets and associated feelings and seek awareness of other parts of yourself, others and the world around you – and thus be more likely to help yourself, others and the planet.
- Accept what you can control and what you can’t when it comes to your part in planetary health.
- Continue to develop your knowledge, and skills and challenge your attitudes about what you can and can’t do to expand your sphere of influence/control (activate and activism for planetary health)
Naomi would like to acknowledge the conceptual guidance and editing provided by Mr Gary W. Cross in the writing of this blog post: https://www.amazon.com/author/gwcross
References
Epictetus, c55 – c135 CE, sourced from Arrian The Discourses of Epictetus, 108 CE, 2.14. 8, 3.9.17, translations by G. W. Cross.
Knabb, J. J., Vazquez, V. E., & Wang, K. T. (2021). The Christian Contentment Scale: An Emic Measure for Assessing Inner Satisfaction within the Christian Tradition. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 49(4), 324–341. https://doi.org/10.1177/0091647120968146
Reat, N.R. (1994). Buddhism: a history, 50-52. Asian Humanities Press, Berkley, California. Soutar, C., & Wand, A. P. F. (2022). Understanding the Spectrum of Anxiety Responses to Climate Change: A Systematic Review of the Qualitative Literature. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(2). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19020990