Deconstructing the World and Our Emotions

The ebbs and flows of pessimism and optimism that I have experienced throughout the Environmental Studies program have been educational and enlightening. The invaluable and often times troublesome content with which we engage has shed light on many of aspects of society that require environmentally just reconstruction. We have engaged this content through an array of critical lenses, methodically deconstructing the politics, powers, privileges, ethics and motivations that have shaped many of todays calamities. But aside from learning the skills and methods of engaging in deconstructing, I've learned a very powerful lesson about myself. This learning experience has shed light on my individual politics, powers, privileges, ethics, and motivations, all of which have empowered me to use my strengths to begin contributing to environmentally just reconstruction.
Looking passed the pain and hurt in the world can be a difficult to achieve. Furthermore, cultivating motivation to act and knowing appropriate ways to act add an additional and often times daunting burden, one that can drag down many students who struggle the common, yet conflicting emotional responses of passion and apathy. Where do these feelings come from? They're deep, personal, and difficult to identify. I believe for this task, we must think critically about ourselves and deconstruct our emotions to find the source of our passionate anger towards injustice. Throughout the progression of the "affective arc" of the Environmental Studies program, I identified which calamities overwhelmed me the most. Based on the critical engagement with the course content, coupled with my critical engagement with myself and an embracement of my emotional response, I have found a path through which I hope to create positive change. My path is foggy, dynamic, and full of obstacles, but it is a path none the less.