"Something Must Be Done"
 |
| Image from absolutebodo.com |
So, without further adieu, something MUST be done. There are days that I shake my head so much, I worry that I will wrench my neck. Days that the sheer laziness of the human race overwhelms me.
There is a very real disconnect between most consumers and the rest of the world. A purposeful, intentional, look away, "I don't want to know," attitude that is pervasive.
We don't want to know where our food comes from. We don't want to hear about genetically modified foods, or high fructose corn syrup, or endocrine disruptors, or artificial anything. Surely, if something were harmful, it wouldn't be available? We just want it fast, cheap and now.
We don't want to know where our clothes come from. Bangladesh? We don't want to hear about unions, minimum wage, quality of life, or natural fibers. We like it cheap, and we hardly care if the CEO of the company is a douche who judges people who weigh more than 6 ounces or if our little girls are dressed like whores.
We don't care to know about the ozone layer, greenhouse gases, global warming, or the like. We want disposable convenience and we don't care where it goes when we're done with it. Poisoned rivers in China? Isn't that just a story from The Onion?
Maybe we don't believe that we can do anything, so it's better not to know and it's easier to do nothing. It's certainly better to live under a veil of ignorance, living a life of luxurious denial. We can't 'afford' to be conscientious. Local, organic, sustainable...that's for the NPR-loving, tree-hugging crowd. It's not practical - or realistic. We can't do that. And sure, we'd love to buy stuff in YOUR store, but it's cheaper if I just scout it at your spot and then buy it online. Okay?
Please God, just stop. Seriously. Just fucking stop.
The least you can do is a thousand times more than you're doing.
Switch from plastic bags to reusable bags. Recycle one more thing. Bring your own mug for coffee. Order tap water in a restaurant. Buy one thing locally. Read a label. Research a product. Know where it all comes from and who made it. Resist the urge to throw things away...give them away.
You don't have to save the world. You're not in competition with anyone else. Worry about your own self. This has nothing to do with religion, politics, or wealth.
Do ONE thing this week that you didn't do last. And don't tell ANYONE. Your gift to the world is just that...it's a gift. Not a bragging right. Not a badge of boastful courage. It's between you and Mother Earth.
It's not Earth DAY. It's Earth NOW or never. It's humanity now, if ever. And something MUST be done.