Don’t pass the buck.
[No. 54]
TO WHAT EXTENT DO PEOPLE TRULY BELIEVE IN THE IDEA OF HOLDING FUTURE GENERATIONS ACCOUNTABLE FOR SOCIAL, POLITICAL, AND ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE, AND HOW MUCH WEIGHT DO THEY GIVE TO THIS PRINCIPLE IN THEIR PERSONAL DECISION-MAKING AND ADVOCACY EFFORTS?
“If the world is to be healed through human efforts, I am convinced it will be by ordinary people, people whose love for this life is even greater than their fear.”
Joanna R. Macy
The other night I went to order Imagined Communities, a book I had recently mentioned here after a discussion with Verônika. On Amazon, I could’ve gotten it in a day, but it was backordered at my two regular book stores here in LA. Seeing the pile of books on queue next to my bed, the truth was I could wait. So, I returned to Book Soup to order it, which will take much longer and cost more. Yet it’s symbolic.
Monpa school children and parents at a village celebration in Jangbi, Bhutan
Convenience is the death of culture, is it not?
Alien, your question is a poignant one. I am a parent to a teenager who is of a generation that is hyper-aware of the world they are inheriting. The future is upon us. The youth are inheriting our planet, as we speak.
A planet wilted by the negligence of their ancestors.
We act without the co-sign of marginalized populations who continue to be relegated to the edges of society, to the edges of the proverbial page.
We take land, water, lights, rights, and lives, and we do not look back.
Is it any wonder that anxiety and loneliness are public health crises? I believe we are too individual, too individualistic. We must dream bigger, baby.
My child’s dad has worked in sustainability for over 20 years. He’d say, “Recycling is great, but what will move the needle is the consciousness and devotion of governments and corporations.” Money talks.
In her book Monsters, Claire Dederer talks about this. “This idea that I – as an atomized consuming individual – am the agent of change is the source of all that is wrong. This idea that we’re not part of a collective, that we don’t need to join with other people to solve problems.”
I once saw an electric light installation by Sam Durant that read, “LATER IS TOO LATE.” Will my choice to buy my little book from Book Soup change the world? Maybe if it inspires you, and you, and you. Maybe if we become galvanized to make collective, cumulative decisions with our money and time that keep our delicate planet in mind. I forever stand by the revolution that happens in our everyday conversations at the cafe, in our thoughtful wallets, in taking our values to the streets, however charming. Vote local. Buy local. Plant things in your garden. Throw less away (make less waste). Clean up the beach. Together, we write the story.
It is so tempting to get rid of trash, at all costs. To simply throw it in the river. But what of the fish? What of the fishermen? What of the children, playing in the stream?