Rewrite Reality: We Are So Far Past the Edge

Welcome to Rewrite Reality, where we peel back the layers of how we imagine our world — then explore what it means to build different futures.

I’m Gregg the Artivist. And on today’s episode, we’ll dive into We Are So Far Past the Edge.

Join me to reflect, challenge assumptions and spark possibility.

Thanks for being here — let’s get into it.

We like to think of crisis as something in the distance.

A warning sign.

A cliff edge we’re heading toward.

But that’s not where we are anymore.

We’re not heading toward a cliff.

We’ve already driven off it.

And right now, we’re arguing over the playlist while we fall.

Look around.

In 2025 alone, we’ve seen record-breaking floods, cyclones, and heatwaves across continents.

Southern Europe is burning — again.

Entire regions of Africa are trapped in cycles of drought and flood.

This is collapse.

Not in the future. Not in a model.

Here. Now.

And yet — what do our governments do?

They cut aid. They slash healthcare and education.

And in the same breath, they hand out billions in fossil fuel subsidies.

In the Netherlands alone — a conservative estimate of thirty-seven and a half billion euros every single year, propping up the very industries driving the crisis.

Tell me we’re not past the edge.

We live in a time where the answer to war, is more war.  And the response to collapse is to accelerate it.

To double down on the systems eating us alive.

And then we’re told to be “realistic.”

To be patient.

To keep scrolling, keep shopping, keep quiet.

But realism isn’t what’s real.

Reality is the storms.

Reality is the fires.

Reality is the families displaced while oil companies post record profits.

And it’s not just “out there.”

It gets under our skin.

Into our sleep.

Into the way our bodies ache with a tension we can’t name.

Because deep down, we know the ground has already given way beneath us.

I’ll be honest: some days, this terrifies me.

Part of me still wants to believe someone, somewhere, is in control.

That the people in charge have a plan, that the system is steady, that we’ll course-correct before it’s too late.

But that’s the illusion.

And clinging to illusions doesn’t keep us safe.

It just keeps us quiet.

What I’ve learned instead is this: when you finally admit we’re past the edge, you stop wasting energy on illusions.

You start paying attention to what’s real.

The small rituals that keep you human.

The people who keep you grounded.

The stories that remind you there is life, even here.

It doesn’t make the fall disappear.

But it changes how you travel through it.

So here’s a small action to try this week:

The next time you catch yourself numbing out — scrolling, bingeing, zoning — pause.

Notice what’s underneath.

Name the discomfort.

And ask yourself: What would help me feel more alive right now, even in the freefall?

It might be a walk, a call, a notebook, a breath.

Something real.

And here’s my personal moment:

For me, this metaphor isn’t abstract.

There are days I feel like I’m clinging to the illusion of solid ground — but then I step into my garden, Plot Zero, and I remember: even in freefall, life insists on growing.

It’s messy, uneven, unpredictable — but it’s alive.

And so am I.

So here’s my question for you:

If we are already past the edge, what matters most to you on the way down?

And what do you want to carry with you into whatever comes next?

Thank you so much for listening to this episode of Rewrite Reality.

If this resonated, I’d love to hear from you, so please do leave a comment wherever you’re listening. What are you feeling? What came up for you? What’s your take on today’s topic? And consider sharing it with someone who might also be thinking deeply about the world around them.

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Until next time — it’s bye from me for now.