Change. It Happens.
An odd statement I know, but there is a lot of truth behind it.
Take the climate for instance. It is changing due to human induced greenhouse gas emissions, which are now forcing natural tipping points. The science doesn’t care if you believe in it or not.
It is happening, and no amount of denial from crackpot Prime Ministers can stop individuals from taking personal action to address it.
That change is also happening. Many individuals and entire communities are taking action on climate change.
Let me repeat a short factual story that my daughter Amy told me tonight which proves my point.
Her friend and flatmate Kate went on a trip to Tasmania a little while ago, and stayed with some nice people. They asked her where she worked, and she told them Melton.
Perchance, they asked Kate if she knew a guy called Gavin Webber. Not only did she know this guy, but she shared a house with Gavin’s daughter, Amy.
They then asked if Kate was the naughty flatmate from the podcast that didn’t recycle properly and who Amy was grumpy at! (TGoG podcast 053).
They introduced themselves as Stewart and his partner and then went on to tell Kate that this Gavin bloke was their inspiration for living a more sustainable lifestyle and reducing their own impact on climate change.
Cool story, even cooler that it is true. This is just one example of the positive outcomes of individual actions, which are making change happen right here, right now.
There are probably many stories like it. There are thousands of individuals that demonstrate in their daily lives that change can and does happen, and they demonstrate that one person can make a difference, even when they don’t think they are.
Just like you. By being here, reading this blog or many like it, you want change.
And if you are like most of my blog readers that I have met, you make change happen every single day, probably without realising it.
Every action you take is noticed by others, and it creates a domino effect that cascades and tumbles over and over. One person changes, then another, then another. People are often inspired into action by noticing the small actions of others.
It just makes me wonder how many people each of us have motivated or touched by our daily actions.
It is probably many, many more than you think. This change is happening quickly before our very eyes.
We may shake our heads in disbelief at the shallow and short-sighted thinking of our political leaders, but it never ceases to amaze me to witness the green groundswell that is occurring all around us. I for one am proud to be a part of it.
Just remember this statement the next time you hear some crazy anti-environmental statement spew from the mouths of our well-loved PM and his cronies.
“We are the change we are looking for. Don’t wait for things to happen. Do it for yourself. Do it for your kids. Most of all, do it now!”
HOORAY!!! I love starting my day with good news. News about our PM and the environment just seems to get worse, but as you say positive change is happening anyway 🙂
Have a great day,
Madeleine
Hi Gavin,
I can’t agree more with your comments on how we can effect change by what we do at home. Coincidentally I was listening to a recent short talk by David Holmgren on The Permaculture Research Institute website (June 9 2014 post), and he was saying the exact same thing. He sees permaculture as a way to change the world by creating the world we do want , not trying to stop the world we don’t. He believes that changing yourself, and what you do yourself, is the most powerful thing you can do. Stuff that we do such as growing our own food (or blogging sustainable ideas!) can be copied by others, thereby creating the domino effect you mention. He comments that such things cannot be seen as subversive to the PM’s of this world. It is hard for governments to stop what we are doing in our own backyards. Keep up the good work Gavin, the green groundswell is growing by the day!
DJ
Cheers DJ. Be the change. It works for me!
So very true , It is all about not giving up and affecting those around you . I know so many people who were actually living ‘that other life ‘ and laughed at the way we lived….and now they are doing it too. It is all very much a ‘butterfly effect’ , where one flap of a butterfly’s wings can change so many little things and those little things eventually add up to big things.
Hi Kim, its funny how the wheel turns. I am a firm believer in the butterfly effect as you describe it. Small actions have big impacts.
Gav
I receive emails from a permie in America called Paul Wheaton and he signs “This is paul wheaton’s daily-ish email that is usually about permaculture and making a better world through learning good things
rather than being angry at bad guys” at the end of each email. I always smile when I read it as it is so true. Permaculture and living a sustainable life makes far more difference than railing against the CMIC (Chief Moron In Charge) and all that crap.
It’s always great to hear about someone who has heard about your blog and better yet made a change to their life because of it. Not the fame but the message. 🙂
Paul Wheaton sounds like he has a good philosophy. I like it.
I dont think you have to worry about how many people you are reaching Gav. Take a look at your view tally and number of followers. One of my favorite things to do whilst on your blog is to look at your live feed and see who and where are on at the same time. Your influence is truly global. Best of all is the message you are sending is positive and inspiring, never negative. Just telling people that they have the power to change their world is so uplifting and empowering.
The best teachers are those that lead by example. Our politicians are so far removed from real life they have lost the plot.
Just what we need to hear when the ‘big’ picture gets too discouraging.