Writing for the “general public” becomes more difficult. The world is pressing in, from all directions. The world is going to hell, and we’ve put the clowns in control. The man in the White House killed a man in retaliation for something that happened 41 years ago—something that was resolved 41 years ago. Puerto Rico is shaking; Australia is on fire. Just two days ago, NPR reported that 1.5 million acres have burned. 1.5 million acres. Wrap your head around that. I look out the window at my paltry 3.9 acres and I cannot imagine the magnitude of what is happening down under. For the love of all things holy, care more about a continent burning than you did about a church (although that was a sad loss for world culture).
And I have made a commitment to write on my blog twice a week. I intend to finish my book(s) this year; write some poems; read more; write more; be more. It seems small, selfish.
I mean, I do all the things: recycle (even batteries and such that I have to bring somewhere!); avoid Styrofoam (which makes me sad because Dunkin uses it still); no plastic eating utensils; no straws; second-hand clothes; donate clothes I don’t wear; reduce meat intake; garden; shop locally; buy from an “ugly” veggie company; use cloth grocery bags; cloth napkins; bamboo toothbrushes; unbleached coffee filters. I avoid single-use plastic. I discard food waste along the edges of my property so local wildlife can eat it, rather than tossing it in the trash. I engage mentally, spiritually, and even physically with the Universe.
On my social media pages, I work to post informative things. Sometimes that causes problems.
People take information as an attack. Several months ago, a Catholic priest attacked Greta Thunberg because she was having climate change protests in Los Angeles, and not taking on the homelessness issue in California. What? We cannot do all of it. Pick your fights, instead of harassing her for what she isn’t doing, what not praise what she is doing? None of us is going to save the world; we must all hold up our own piece of the sky—and if we do that and acknowledge each other, we just might come out on the other side ok. Maybe.
I posted an informational piece about Almond Milk. It isn’t a virtuous choice, people who use it are not “better” than those who use cow’s milk—both options have negative impacts on the planet. I use cow’s milk or cream in the two cups of coffee I drink per day. About a cup of milk a week. I have used almond milk, I like it. I am not judging people for using it. I simply put forth evidence, it too harms the planet—it takes an incredible amount of water to create it, yes, yes, cow’s milk does too. For me, taking water from a drought-ridden area (and yes, I know California is overpopulated, and was originally a desert and people changed the ecosystem to suit their needs) was a step too far, so I stopped using it. I also stopped purchasing Nestle products, not just for their single-use plastic bottles, but because they are depleting the water supply in that same drought-ravaged space. But that’s me. And I am doing my bit, the way it works for me. Do what you can do. Do what feels right for you. I have a relatively small carbon footprint; my electric bill hovers around $50 a month, and gas about $60. I use about 52 cups of milk a year, slightly more than three gallons. I consume more vegetables than meat. We’re all doing what we can, and I will support and encourage you to do the things you can do to make the world a better place. Know I am not judging your choices, just passing along information.
Now, I will judge you if you support the man in the White House (or Downing St.). Because you are supporting the destruction of the planet, racism, misogyny, the destruction of the education system (which was already in sad shape), the destruction of the economy, the death knell of the middle class, the deifying of the obnoxious, old, white guy at the expense of everyone else, including you. Yeah, I will judge you for that. All day. Every day.
We’re all in this together. Our job is to be better people than we were yesterday; to leave the planet better than it was when we inherited it. So, work on that in your own way, and I’ll cheer you on—even if it’s steps I am not taking.
Go team Earth!