This coming Tuesday, as part of our Hack Your Mind series, we are hosting a screening of a powerful documentary called The Way Out. The film, with commentary by the Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, has a revolutionary proposal for facing the climate crisis. Thich Nhat Hanh states, “The way out is in. The way out of climate change is inside each of us.” His invitation is to stop: to stop running and to take a good look at what is really going on.

I remember receiving some questioning comments when we began our Hack Your Mind events a few years ago.  A number of people familiar with our work commented, “What are you getting into? This isn’t your kind of programming. You deal with ethics. ” Our answer was that in order for us to make sound, ethical choices, we must take time to reflect. Practicing mindfulness is necessary for the hard work of reflection. Thus, the screening of this film was a natural choice for this series.

The documentary focuses on two protagonists: one, an environmental activist fighting to stop fracking in Yorkshire, England; the other, a banker in London who experiences an existential crisis as he begins to deeply examine his life and attempts to remedy his emptiness and despair. As I watched the film, I was profoundly moved by their stories. As the banker says, "It’s about seeing things as they really are.” Witnessing his courage as he transforms his life is inspirational. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Following the screening, we will leave time for discussion that will be facilitated by Susy Jones, Senior Sustainability Project Manager, MIT Office of Sustainability and

Zan Barry, Senior Program Manager in Community Wellness at MIT Medical, who has provided mindfulness programs at MIT for over 16 years.

~~~~~~~~~

A positive addendum to the film: This month, the UK government has halted fracking in England with immediate effect in a watershed moment for environmentalists and community activists. The decision was taken after a new scientific study warned it was not possible to rule out unacceptable consequences for those living near fracking sites.

Gasoil News - Published on Wed, 06 Nov 2019  https://steelguru.com/gas-oil/uk-government-halts-fracking-in-england/552038

~~~~~~~~

Our co-sponsor is MIT Office of Sustainability.