092 | Transcending Complacency (Guest: Allie McMullen)

Transcend HumanConversations with Family

Dec 6

Written By Daryl McMullen

Date: December 6, 2021

Welcome to a fun, 4-part series I'm going to call: Conversations with Family

Today's Topic: Transcending Complacency with Allie McMullen

Defining complacency:

What is it?
Dictionary.com
- "A feeling of quiet pleasure or security, often while unaware of some potential danger, defect, or the like
- A self-satisfaction or smug satisfaction with an existing situation, condition, etc.
Who does it impact?
- Generational?
- Just a white privilege thing?
- Related to wealth and privilege?
How does it impact us?
- Looking the other way?
- Ignoring real societal problems?
- As long as it isn't having an impact on me?
Things we get complacent about:
- Social justice issues
- Systemic racism
- Poverty
- The homelessness crisis
- How many kids are in the foster care system
- The crisis at the southern border
- Climate change, global warming and the environment
These all seem pretty obvious. In your face at times.
And yet many of us go about our lives as if they don't exist, or don't need our attention...

Now obviously we can't hit all of these in one episode - but I wanted to chat about the one that hits close to home for you - because it's something you're passionate about. All things Climate Change, Global Warming, the Environmental & Sustainability

Sounds like a lot - but they're all interconnected in some way righty?

Interview Questions:

When did you first take interest in the environment?
- Can you see things even before that which pushed you in that direction?
- I remember you having a pretty big interest in Marine Biology for a while - was this part of it too?
What are you the most fired up about?
- Prior to college?
- After being in college for a while has that changed?
- Expanded outlook on the issues?
- Does anything stand out as completely different?
"An Inconvenient Truth" - the Al Gore documentary on climate change from 2006:
- I just watched it for the first time recently
- Was it required viewing in high school or college?
- What have your conversations in school been like compared to the data presented in this documentary?
Okay - so let's net it out and talk about some of the biggest threats we're facing:
- What are some of the BIG topics, or conversations you're having this year at Pepperdine?
- Our biggest environmental issues today?
- And what are the outcomes?
- What is being predicted if we don't figure things out?
Okay - so given these predictions - there has to be something we can do?
- Let's talk prevention...since we know we're all part of the problem...how can we be part of the solution as well?
  - So let's start with the problem side:
    - What are we all doing that adds to the problem?
    - Things that are happening that need to stop?
  - Then let's talk solutions:
    - What are some small next steps for people wanting to be part of the solution?
    - What are things we can start doing differently?
The last thing I wanted to talk about are people - and their response to climate change:
- In my head I typically group people into a few categories:
  - Fanatics: The tree hugger type who at times will use violence to push their agenda
  - Environmentalists: People who believe in the science behind it - and hope that if we talk about it enough we can affect change
    - I would include you in this category - environmental law - political action - things like that
  - The Average Person - Living in Complacency: People who don't want to think about it. My life is too busy. What am I going to do anyway? It isn't going to impact me in my lifetime...
  - Completely Opposed: People who believe climate change is a conspiracy theory. View environmentalists as misinformed. View the environmental movement as direct opposition to progress and economic growth.
  - Do these sound about right? Would you add a category in here at all?
And finally, being a Christian, I thought it might be interesting to talk about the environment from that perspective:
- I would lump myself into this group. I grew up Christian. I was taught that the Earth was perfect, then when the Sin Virus entered - everything started to unravel - suggesting there is nothing we can do to prevent the Earth falling apart
- Because of this there may be a tendency for Christians to be complacent:
  - Maybe the idea that it's going to happen anyway - no matter what we do?
  - Seeing their behavior as not being important or necessary
- I'm not going to lie - I feel like I've had this approach at times throughout my life
- It's something I've had to wrestle with in order to fully determine what I believed about our impact on the Earth
- And I love that you've challenged my thinking in this area
- So I guess my question in all of this is:
  - What would you say to a person who believes the world is going to end anyway - so why work so hard to reverse something that seems inevitable?

Let’s Land the Plane:

If you want more info on these topics - see the references section in the show notes. Allie has provided some links to additional resources if you're interested in educating yourself further in this area.

I love that I got to do this with you today. Can't wait to see how God uses you in the future.

For the listener:

This week - ask yourself if there are areas in your life where complacency has crept in
If so - what can you do this week to get back in the fight and start caring again?

Thanks for joining us - have a great week - help protect our little planet - and as always, keep Transcending Human!

References: