Hone

Chapter 13Minimally Viable Thoughts: Honing Our Future

 

On the advice of others, both of us have recently taken up – or tried to take up – meditation. This was specifically in response to a desire to be more present and focused in our daily lives. One of us has been more successful than the other, perhaps because he listens to instructions better. That person's coach originally suggested meditating for five minutes per day. She said, “Try it out for two weeks, only five minutes.” The response back to her was typical: “I think I can do more – what about ten?” She responded, “Please don't. You'll likely give up if you try and do more. Just do five.” So that's what happened. And five grew to 10 over time, and only a handful of days have been missed in the last five years.

Sometimes when we look at how society is addressing the many issues surrounding energy and climate, it feels like we are trying to meditate for 20 minutes a day – or an hour, or more – from the start. Humanity is faced with an incredibly complex problem: how to power a growing world, especially with the rise of AI and the development of the Global South, while ensuring energy reliability and security and minimizing the worst impacts on our changing climate. This involves balancing numerous competing interests and priorities, making the challenge feel almost insurmountable. We can't wish away the complexity of this challenge – in fact, we think we need to embrace it. The only way to achieve broad enough support ...