Doing something
Every morning when I leave my house for work, Greta Thunberg reminds me that I must do my bit to make the world a better place. She is the remarkable young woman from Sweden, who has rallied people to the cause of climate change. And we have her picture and exhortation in our front yard.
It was our friend's idea. In my social circle, Deborah was an early admirer of Greta's and she spoke of her frequently and with deep admiration. "I want to make a sign for Greta," said Deborah. And so we did.
It's not a big thing to do, but it has impact. And that's the point. Greta's call to act on climate change is a call to each of us to DO SOMETHING. We cannot bury our head in the sand: DO SOMETHING. We cannot ignore the daily small reminders that climate change is the big issue of our time: DO SOMETHING.
The sign in our front yard is us doing something. It's out there, every day, all day, large enough to draw attention from the dog walkers, joggers and cyclists on our street. People stop, they read the sign, some nod, others pull out their phone and snap a photo. Our sign is making a statement, and people are paying attention. Maybe it's only a handful of people, but it's a handful more than if there were no sign in our front yard.
Life can feel chaotic and overwhelming these days, because often it is exactly that: overwhelming with all the issues facing us and our planet. But doing something can help counteract the sense of hopelessness so many of us succumb to. Millions of us doing a little bit of something is far better than only a few people doing one thing enormously.
Here's some useful advice that came across my Facebook feed recently: "When you're feeling overwhelmed about how much injustice there is, and how big the problems are: 1. Make a list of three things that you could do that would help, in whatever way. 2. Pick one thing that you could do this week. 3. Revisit the list next week."
Or make a list of one thing. Or don't even make a list. Just do one thing. But DO SOMETHING.
It was our friend's idea. In my social circle, Deborah was an early admirer of Greta's and she spoke of her frequently and with deep admiration. "I want to make a sign for Greta," said Deborah. And so we did.
The sign in our front yard is us doing something. It's out there, every day, all day, large enough to draw attention from the dog walkers, joggers and cyclists on our street. People stop, they read the sign, some nod, others pull out their phone and snap a photo. Our sign is making a statement, and people are paying attention. Maybe it's only a handful of people, but it's a handful more than if there were no sign in our front yard.
Life can feel chaotic and overwhelming these days, because often it is exactly that: overwhelming with all the issues facing us and our planet. But doing something can help counteract the sense of hopelessness so many of us succumb to. Millions of us doing a little bit of something is far better than only a few people doing one thing enormously.
Here's some useful advice that came across my Facebook feed recently: "When you're feeling overwhelmed about how much injustice there is, and how big the problems are: 1. Make a list of three things that you could do that would help, in whatever way. 2. Pick one thing that you could do this week. 3. Revisit the list next week."
Or make a list of one thing. Or don't even make a list. Just do one thing. But DO SOMETHING.
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| We also had postcards made, which are just the right size for making lists. |
This hit close to home for me. I worry but do so little to put out that fire. Today I shall think on this. And make the list. Thank you
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