Ya, I know how the story goes – “Sure anything I do isn’t going to make a blind bit of difference, when … (INSERT RANDOM OTHER PERSON / ORGANISATION HERE)… is doing …. (SOME BAD THING).
And at the outset, they are very possibly right. But if that’s the case, then what’s the point? Why don’t we just throw in the towel now? Well because, in my opinion, we have something worth fighting for – if not for us, then for future generations.
From this moment in time, looking into the future, out of the infinite number of possible paths and outcomes, the 2 extremes on the spectrum are:
1. Business as Usual, resulting in some sort of dystopian Mad Max style world – with or without humans
2. Best case scenario, is a world similar to ours, with only slightly more land covered by oceans and only a few million displaced people
Believe me, I’m waiting to be proven wrong, but rather than argue about how bad it’s going to be, the important thing is, how do get to the best possible outcome>
There are several reasons, I believe, that the small things we do, even though the immediate advantages and difference are minimal, will compound to get us to where we need to be.
1. Mindset
To me, this is the number one determinant of whether the human race, or realistically, how many of us, survive the mess we’ve gotten ourselves into. Whether taking 1 less flight per year, or turning off the light in the room you’re not using, is going to make the slightest difference to the global temprature, is really beside the point. Small positive actions, when repeated, form into habits, which when allowed, grow and expand. Once you mind is conditioned to see the ways things can be done better, you can’t not see them.
2. Influence
Whether we like it or not, the things we do, influence other people. I’m not talking about having millions of Instagram followers – often it’s our closest family, friends, work colleagues etc. Do you throw waste paper out the window of the car, or do you bring it to a bin? Whichever you do, was more than likely influenced by your parents – so you now have the opportunity to be the best person you can be and show by example, your kids, family, community, how it should be done.
3. Readiness
Are you ready? Things have probably changed more in the past 20 years than any time in history. I think the next 20, 50 and 100 years will bring absolutely unimaginable change to every aspectof life. Those of us who are open to making changes that have been proven to have a positive impact, will be more ready for future changes.
4. History
How do you want to look back on your life? Will you be at the right side of history? In a hypothetical 50 years time, will you be happy to look back at having taken 2, 3, 5 or even 10 flights in 2023? Will you be able to tell those who are suffering directly because of the actions of generations, that, even though all the evidence was there, that you consciously flew by choice? I know it’s pretty easy to convince ourselves now that it’s not a big deal, but?looking at it from outside, what do you think now?
I’m not for one second suggesting we jump into every fad and new idea that comes out, but small real actions, have very real consequences, so I think, these actions should be as positive as possible.
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