This existential piece was spawned by the reflections of my dear friend who grew up in Oxford, and who cannot remember a New Year past, that wasn’t white with the deep snow of northern New England that shelters the wild blueberries, rodents and untold insects, charging the thirsty aquifers come spring, sustaining all forms of life throughout the entire year.
The weathah in Maine has been different this wintah. We have experienced historical rainfall and high temperatures that pose a different kind of existential challenge to the flora and fauna. I am not a climate expert, but my memory is sharp and my eyes don’t lie. Weather has become different and too often, extreme.
Though we are quick to judge big industry, it is a hot climatological bed that we continue to make for ourselves, myself included, for we are dependent upon, and support said industry in myriad ways. I am no longer a blind and naïve child who is ignorant of his role in climatic impact. Though smaller now, my carbon footprint is still formidable – I use electricity, consume goods, create garbage, bring it to the transfer station and burn gas delivering it there. So, I try to think hard before I get in my car for an unnecessary errand, or a long-distance trip taken alone. I consider the necessity of ordering something online that I can easily survive without – often I fail, and I am still self-serving, but at the very least, I am guiltily aware that my actions have far-reaching repercussions.
Everything that is manufactured takes a little bit away from the world that nurtures us, ultimately ending up in a burgeoning landfill. I try to repurpose, resell or give away what I don’t need. I will not cut down a tree, or pull a weed without serious thought as to the “why” of my actions. Though I may not understand its role on Earth, even the parasitic tick has its purpose. Human understanding is not requisite for the existence of other beings. One small tree captures carbon, holds the soil, and supports unimaginable life. A perceived weed is a short stop on a pollinator’s or a forager’s perpetual quest for sustenance and survival. I attempt to live as simply as possible and without screens – it is good for me, and it is part of my obligation to sustain the planet that sustains me.
In 2024 and beyond, we must be more mindful of our waste and our capitalistic ways, by using less, wanting less and exercising consideration, not only for the human offspring who will inherit our legacy of waste, but most importantly, the plants and the wild animals who are confused and challenged by what we humans have spawned and perpetrated by carelessly burning fossil fuels over the past 200-plus years.
The future’s changing environment will be harsh to all terrestrial beings. May we practice love, kindness and consideration for everything and everyone, regardless of our perception of individual worthiness. I know nothing of your struggles, nor you of mine – the smallest of gestures can change an outcome that may continue to be positively manifested years into the future.
I am guiltily aware that my communication of these profound and intimate thoughts is being imparted through the use of humanity’s dubious high technology – in fact, randomly swiping and scrolling on the worldwide web annually emits hundreds of millions of tons of CO2 into the air that we all breathe. This is to say nothing of disposing of the 4.5 billion smartphones, composed of toxic metals, that we use and needlessly upgrade, each year (I write this on an ancient iPhone 7 which continues to suit my needs more than adequately).
A physical, rejuvenating hug and a kind word, person to person, face to face, heart to heart, possesses the awesome emotional power that neither the internet nor its aborning A.I. will ever be able to offer. May our love and compassion for one another be the motivation that shelters and saves our species. Our progeny deserve the same opportunities to thrive as the countless generations before them, that have carelessly blazed and then paved the impervious trail that they will hopefully stray away from. What future wonders will they witness? And will they look back upon past generations with disdain for our selfishness, or gratitude for our earnest and sustained species-saving foresight?
I write because of my love for the miraculous beauty of our world, it’s clever and unique inhabitants and especially for the devotion of the individuals and organizations that daily, consciously and purposefully strive to preserve it. May we all become a part of this too-small bucket brigade that is struggling to extinguish the fire for which humanity is both intentionally and unintentionally responsible. One person at a time, we can make a difference – scroll less, think more, love more, be respectful, kind and loving.
Wait no longer to attend to our ailing Earth mother. Model and practice a life of sustainability. Shop locally. Support farmers. Donate to crucial environmental aid agencies. Make 2024 a thoughtful, purposeful, empathic and healing year for yourself, those whom you love, and the only world that so selflessly sustains our unique species.
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