Aristotle argued that a city must be small enough for its citizens to know one another, to gather, debate, and actively participate in their governance.

If and when a city grows too big, it fractures, and democracy becomes an illusion. If you cannot see, hear, and understand the will of the people around you, how can you rule fairly and justly?

I wholeheartedly agree with Aristotle.

After traveling to so many mega-cities, including Tokyo, New Delhi, Nairobi, New York, L.A. Istanbul, London, Bangkok and Tokyo, I have come to the conclusion that I have been incredibly naive in thinking that we will be able to stop, let alone reverse, the ongoing climate crisis.

Sounds like a copout, I know. But at some point we need to let the “kumbaya” fade away and get real about what we’re facing and then face straight on. Removing plastic straws and driving EV:s are not going to make a difference. Not really.

The wheels of industry have become too large, the machinery too complicated, and the world too cynical for more significant change than what a little greenwashing can muster.

Being in Athens right now feels extraordinarily fitting, as this city (as seen in my photo above) is enormously big and must be incredibly complicated to manage and maintain.

The sheer scale of Athens, the layers of history, and the density of life here make it once again clear to me just how complex urban governance and all that comes with it, truly is.

Still, I am optimistic about the planet itself surviving. The Earth has endured far worse than us, and it will continue long after we’re gone.

So, instead of drowning in despair over the inevitable demise of society as we know it in a few generations, I think we should appreciate our time here as a species and go with the flow. That’s not to say that I think we should get even more diabolical in order to accelerate the downfall. I’m not even sure we could if we tried. But the collective guilt many of us feel, myself included, is not helping anything or anybody. Least of all this blue rock we call home.