You are the problem and the solution

Some people might unfriend me after this one, but oh well. It needs to be said. I shall bear the consequences. Here we go :)

There is a post of a starving polar bear circling the internet right now. It’s terrible to watch. It’s more than heartbreaking — it’s devastating on multiple levels.

The one thing I am 99% sure of is that most people felt something when they watched this video. Perhaps you experienced feelings of sorrow, sadness, and existentialism. Perhaps you experienced feelings of guilt and remorse.

So, we ALL felt something. We’re all on the same page. Now here’s where things get dicey. We all want to stop this, but we don’t really know how. We aren’t powerful. We have no leverage. We don’t have the time, money, or resources. We feel something sad and then try to cover it up with mimosas at brunch. Or, we don’t really believe our actions have any use — because we are each just one person among billions.

These are all real thoughts. It’s hard to think about our uselessness. It’s easier to snuggle up in your PJ’s and watch Netflix. But then how can we post on social media about these things with sad emoticons and desperate “we need to do something” statements, if we aren’t actually doing anything useful ourselves?

Whoa. Some people might feel attacked by that last statement. Did I just call you a hypocrite? Kind of. But chill. I called myself a hypocrite too. I’m calling us ALL OUT on this. We are humanity, we suck. We are the problem. There’s no getting around it. Unless you’re spending your time ACTIVELY contributing to positive change in your society or mobilizing communities, sorry. You failed. We all failed. Being a nice person isn’t enough anymore. We need to do MORE.

Let’s remember this feeling. Every time you see a post about what’s going on with our environment and the terrible impact it’s having on plants, animals, our food, and the climate — let’s remember this feeling. Let this feeling drive you forwards.

So if you don’t already hate me for ruining your Saturday, now what? What can you do? I have some ideas. This is not a perfect list because newsflash, I’m not perfect either. If I was perfect, I would be living in a mountain with minimal belongings. If I was, I wouldn’t be writing this random article from the comforts of my heated home. To be honest the most “perfect” thing to do to help the environment would be to kill myself so I could stop using resources. So yea — let’s forget about the most “ideal” thing we could do and focus on what we can do.

These are some things I have been thinking about. These aren’t new, revolutionary ideas. Some of these things, I’ve already put into motion. Some of these things are things I am slacking on and need help with. And some things — I just don’t know about! So clue me in on your thoughts and your tips & tricks, too! We CAN help, even if it’s small. EVERY LITTLE THING COUNTS. Yes, it’s a little naive and slightly reminiscent of a hopeful 12 year old, but honestly we (me included) need to get over ourselves and quit this jaded/cynical shit and start channeling some sort of positive energy. If you don’t think you, as a human being, can contribute anything positive to the world and Mother Nature, the rest of this has no bearing.

1. Start small. Instead of getting overwhelmed about the entire planet, start in your home. This can mean a lot of things. Maybe you can pick one new thing to implement per week — like walking or bike riding instead of driving, using reusable water bottles, planting a few flowers, reducing your use of household chemicals, or taking shorter showers. These things are EASY to do and again, it’s not about being perfect — every small thing you do adds up. It seems silly, but if we all believe this, we all win. Take it one step at a time — you’ll be surprised at just how many bad habits we all have! Just looking around my house right now, I see ten things I could change to help our environment. Gah! Breathe. Start small. Build up from there.
2. As a follow-up to #1, reduce your consumption. This one is TOUGH. But we all are definitely crazy consumers. With quick fixes around like Amazon prime, the world is at our fingertips. Everything is so alarmingly easy. So sometimes, we need to force ourselves to do the harder thing or the less convenient thing. Do we really NEED a new pair of sneakers? Do we really NEED a new phone when the current one is working just fine? Are we seeking meaning in shiny new things? Let’s find meaning somewhere else. Let’s scale back on the concept of “new”. Hit up a garage sale. Find some hidden gems at cheaper prices. Live with your slightly less functional item, whatever it is. And try to avoid tossing things in the trash that others could use — donate it!
3. Stop projecting outwards. It’s easy to blame mass marketing, the media, the government, Monsanto. Yes. You are right. Many aspects of the above SUCK. There is money and corruption involved. It is terrible. But let’s not forget — our dollars have power. Every dollar you spend on food and clothing means something. It helps someone or hurts someone. It fuels an industry or makes an industry die and evolve into something better. Use your dollars wisely and FORCE CHANGE by putting your money elsewhere. Cripple a business with unethical practices or boost a business with good ones— all with a simple swipe of your credit card.
4. Help out. This one requires a sacrifice of time, but we could all use a little kick in the pants when it comes to volunteering. Yes, it might not be convenient for you. Game of Thrones is on. You had a tough week. I get it. You know who’s also having a tough week and has nobody to help them? Bees. Trees. Forests. Suck it up, get over yourself and your life, and go be a part of something bigger than yourself. If volunteering scares you or makes you feel too many things you don’t want to feel, donate money on the regular. As for volunteering, I believe any kind of help is good. You don’t need to fly to Africa and build a fresh water well to feel important. There are plenty of local organizations in your neighborhood/town that will greatly benefit from your time. Even if you feel like folding brochures and stuffing envelopes is useless, just remember that your time freed up someone else’s time to go do something else. You also may have inspired someone else to get out there and volunteer. It’s a ripple effect!
5. Get real. Of course we don’t want an entire species to go extinct — we’re not insane. When we’re faced with it, our empathy exists — we would stop on the side of the road to help a struggling goose family cross the road. But, we’re sadly disconnected. We don’t necessarily know how to bridge the gap between wildlife, animals, the planet, and our diets. It takes a long time to understand this — it took me forever. You might own a dog or cat. This can help give you perspective on how close to home all of this is. Always remember that eating animals has been recognized as one of the top reasons, if not the TOP reason that all of this devastation is happening. If you just can’t give up bacon because “bacon is life”, see #1. Make small changes! You don’t have to do it all. But, you do owe your notions about diet some thought. Do the research. Be your OWN educator. And yes, bacon IS literally life. It’s a life. Pigs are every bit as smart and loving as dogs. If you love animals and the polar bear video made you terribly sad, remember what’s happening behind the scenes in factory farms every single second of the day (organic, free-range, or otherwise). It’s slightly contradictory to be upset by one and not the other. So, fix it! MAKE SMALL CHANGES. Adopt an animal-free meal here or there. You won’t die. You’ll eat some more broccoli. You’ll be just fine. Make a sacrifice for someone else. Speak up for the voiceless. Are you “superior” to animals, or do you assign them worth and meaning? You’ll kill two birds with one stone and literally SAVE LIVES and help the environment big time, too. It’s that simple. **Minor side rant — stop calling people “hippies” for being vegan. You’re mocking someone who loves and cares about animals. It’s not cool. Chill with that. kthanks. :) Also, don’t be a troll. “Plants have feelings, too!” and “But yesterday I saw you buy quinoa — you took food away from Bolivians!” are statements that aren’t helping anyone. Everyone is trying their best to be better, and nobody is going to be perfect. People are trying to REDUCE the pain they inflict by existing on this planet. Unfortunately, our very existence WILL CAUSE PAIN AND SUFFERING to the earth until the day we die. All we can do is try to reduce said pain and suffering. Being a troll isn’t useful. Find something else to do instead of bringing everyone else down.
6. Surround yourself with new people. Sometimes, we have to take a hard look at the people in our lives. We absolutely love them, but we get influenced by the snarky commentary of others. We get sucked in to their beliefs or their view points. As a result, we waste time and worry about a lot of petty and meaningless things. It happens to all of us! Switch it up — there’s a saying that says you’re the average of the five people you most associate with. If you aren’t happy with yourself or you’re looking to grow, it’s time to meet some new people. It’s a big world out there full of people doing amazing things. You can be a part of it, too.
7. Speak up. Many of us are very creative entrepreneurs when it comes to thinking of positive changes for our communities and the world, but we are afraid of speaking up. Social media has made it easy to hide — we don’t want to be criticized. We don’t want people to laugh at us or not like us. If this sounds like you, you aren’t alone. I do the same thing. But I think we could all benefit from using our voices a little more. Say the unpopular thing. Go and be alone with your unaccepted beliefs. It’s fine. At the worst, nothing will happen to you. Maybe someone will talk about you behind your back. Oh well — they were going to do that anyways, no matter what you said or did. At the best, you might inspire someone to get out there and do something. We gain nothing by staying silent. Be loud. And not just on social media — share your opinions with friends and family in person. If your friends and family aren’t receptive, see #6. Go find people that ARE interested in what you’re saying or proposing. Little ideas can spread, but only if we’re brave enough to share the idea. It might end up being stupid, but oh well. Fail 99 times, succeed once — that’s life.
8. Think about your life. Do you really want to sit idly by while all this mayhem happens? Do you really want people 30, 40, 50 years from now to be looking back and saying “jeez, what the fuck was wrong with those self-obsessed, cruel, narcissistic assholes? Why were they so entitled? Why didn’t they do more?” Let’s not live with these thoughts. Let’s not even entertain them. We aren’t THAT bad. We just need to stay in tune with reality and be better versions of ourselves. The world isn’t all about cute memes, guys. The world is happening outside — all of this sad stuff we see in videos isn’t sci-fi or fiction or the future, it’s real. Get outside and turn your perspective around. Take a walk with a friend. Talk to strangers in the street. Just get out there. Don’t get confused by technology. It isn’t REAL.

Don’t know how to do any of this? Don’t trust yourself to do it? Yea. Same. Fuck, I don’t trust myself at all. What if I just sat here and ranted on the internet all afternoon and end up being a hypocrite and do nothing? Yikes. My proposal? Let’s hold each other accountable. The best way to push yourself, get out of your comfort zone, and get things done is to find a buddy and hold each other to it. It can make a BIG difference. Message me if you want to help hold me accountable, and I will return the favor! I’m looking forward to making myself a more useful person. I owe Mother Nature something for all the resources I use on this planet, right? Right.

If you felt like this article was shit, and don’t like what I said, I am sorry. I’m just being honest and trying to do better. I welcome the honest feedback.

If this article touched ONE person, I’m happy I wrote it. Let’s connect and push each other. Let’s mobilize. Let’s think. Let’s be better and do better. Message me and let’s get to work!