The Gravity of Our Situation: On Acrophobia and Eco-Paralysis

This chapter takes gravity as a fundamental elementElements. Gravity is one of the physical forces without which there would not be life nor matter as we know it. Gravity can keep us grounded, but it can also be terrifying and discomforting. As a person suffering from acrophobia, I give a phenomenological account of how this condition is not merely a “fear of heights” but a debilitating somatic condition that affects the sensory apparatus and my being in the world. Acrophobia is one of many environment and place related phobias, which disrupt the harmonious relation between environment and body. I then relate this experience to the environmental and social challenge of climate change—a problem that is so immense it can give a similar feeling of debilitating dizziness. “Eco-paralysis” is different from “climate anxiety” just as acrophobia is different from a mere “fear of heights.” It is an embodied inability to act when faced with the complexity and gravity of our situation: One has to look away from the problem in order to regain sensory control. The challenge of our time is to find the balance, which involves focusing our attention on the ground while still being aware of the environmental abyss.