It’s half empty not so much because there’s no reason for hope, but because there is so much obvious ignorance, superstition and unmitigated greed in influential places, sucking up the oxygen of attention that should be going to adaptive planning.

It’s half empty because there’s very little in the way of good news – that we’re actually finding solutions to our currently most vexing problems – the floundering world economy, looming threats from climate change, expanding resource shortages, inadequate healthcare, overgrown defense budgets.

And yet, that half-empty glass is, in itself, an inspiration for the half-full perspective.

The half-full view of the half-empty perspective is that humanity is now being forced to make use of the big brains, consciousness, compassion and intelligence that Nature has, for whatever reason, endowed us with. Through tens of thousands of years, going back to our ape-like ancestors we’ve had to learn and develop faculties to deal with dire situations. We learned enough to plan ahead and seek shelter in caves to avoid being attacked and eaten. We do have the capacity to think ahead and change our habits. We’ve just gotten lazy over the course of a few generations.

All of us who have experienced working selflessly with a group, a team, a community to accomplish a difficult and collectively valued goal understand the gift that such an experience can be. Individual attainment and success may be all that’s needed for some, but for most of us I have to believe that the greater feeling of gratification comes with being part of something bigger than ourselves.

As concerned as I am about the scale and degree of challenge we have ahead of us, I can’t help but be excited by the prospect that many more of us will – by choice or necessity – be in closer cahoots as we adapt in advance for 21st Century economy and climate.