Imagine the world without anger, without greed. We have the power, the tools, the skills and the resources right now to build a peaceful world, where people live in harmony with the Earth and each other. This blog explores ways we are doing just that, one post, one change, one day at a time. Join me. Tell your stories. Ask for help. Spread your ideas for making the vision real and, well, ordinary.

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Thirteen year old Felix Finkbeiner addresses the United Nations on climate change

Listen to this kid.



What do you think? What, if anything, will change in your daily life going forward, after hearing this young man?

It's only fair, if I ask that question, that I tell you what I expect to change in mine. First thing, when I'm feeling that I'm just one person and my efforts can't mean that much to anyone, I'm going to remember Felix and keep on working for change--every day. Second thing, I'm going to try and get me a posse to stand with me, like he has standing with him. Was he the spokesperson they chose? I don't know, but I want to make sure every member of my posse has a strong voice. Want to be on my posse? Contact me. We'll figure out it out together.

Posted with gratitude to the Sierra Club for their article, We children will do it ourselves.
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We make peace in a million small ways every day.
All text and images, unless otherwise noted, copyright L. Kathryn Grace. All rights reserved.

5 comments:

Laughing Doodle 2022 said...

What an amazing young man. He sounds like a great leader in the making.

What will I do?

I already don't own a car and no longer drive for my work. I take public transit, and I walk to work often, though not every day yet. I usually ride an electric powered city bus or train, and drive a "green" car once every month or longer. So I've reduced my footprint a lot already. HOWEVER... I purchase items that are shipped from overseas, or from across the border, or from out of state. I do this because I don't take time to research first, or because I think I must have "it" at any cost.

So my goal: Reduce my footprint even more by
1. Buying local more often, after I Reduce, Reuse, and Recylce
2. Walking even more
3. Trying to spread the word of Felix at work, because that's where I go every day.

Oh, and I must find a way to plant one tree, and then work up to my quota of 150.

kario said...

I'll be in your posse. We can all make a difference, but together we can stand stronger than we think.

Deb Shucka said...

He and his posse give me hope. What an amazing young man. It seems I have more trees to plant. :-)

graceonline said...

Sharon, thank you for sharing so much! It encourages me more than I can say.

Kario, thank you for accepting my posse invitation. How shall we begin?

Deb, yes, the passion of such young people is indeed hope-inspiring. I hope to post soon about Urban Forest and how they help those concrete-bound of us to plant trees. Perhaps they can be of use to you.

Hayden said...

beautiful and inspiring.

personally, I have a new mantra, one that I've been growing into for a couple of years now. It is: profound laziness. To be profoundly lazy implies that you will no longer work for others, only for yourself. That quickly means - living sustainably.

the only question I need to ask myself daily is: "how can I spend less?" each dollar I don't spend means no compromise over shipping, manufacturing, etc. It means I finally commit to having a few chickens and taking care of them, even in winter, if I want to continue to eat eggs. And yes, must think of planting a few plants that will help me feed them through the winter (though my veggie trimmings will make a huge start, and establishing a worm farm will give me some protein to offer them when scratchin' is thin, they still need some seeds/grain). many decisions get made, most of them small but profound.

we are addicted to buying things we don't need: we barely get them out of the package before the pleasure fades. Within a month we barely know we have them.

So, while I've been weaning myself from the consumer culture, now I'm getting serious about it. A neighbor of mine is an amazing knitter. Maybe I'll learn from her and make myself some socks for next winter. Socks these days aren't warm and wear out too fast - I know knitting my own won't be cheap, but if they last longer and keep my toes warm they'll be better in the long run. It sounds small, silly - but this is so only if you dismiss all efforts at improvement as useless. And it's not.

My new goal is to learn what is the minimum number of dollars I can live on each year.

It's not about denying myself things: it's about giving myself freedom to do what I wish to do. It's not about being miserable, it's about being deeply happy, with time for friends and learning.

along the way, it will be very healthy for this beautiful planet we live on.

It's quite possible that I will need to work for others along the way, but it must be on my terms. For years I mortgaged my time, my life, to corporate living. I can not do that again. I will not do that again. In the future any work I do must leave my spirit free. I'm sure that it means I will go without things that others consider necessary, but rather than exchange my mind for money, I will do it happily.

If more followed this path of profound laziness it would change the planetary paradigm in a flash.

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