We're all in this together

We all have our own problems to deal with--paying bills, putting food on the table, protecting our homes and families. These are the things we focus on—the parts of our immediate world. We all work hard to protect and maintain what is “ours”—those things that we care for. We typically don’t feel like we have time or energy to devote to the rest of the world’s problems. It’s not that we don’t care, it’s just that we have priorities, and so many of the issues that sustainability advocates talk about seem like they’re not of immediate importance in our individual lives. It doesn’t help that in ‘Western’ or ‘developed’ societies, we’re conditioned to value individuality and independence, to see ourselves as apart from the greater system, not a part of it. And the technologies that surround us, and supposedly make us so much more connected, in reality often end up reinforcing that sense of separation.

We end up feeling fairly disconnected from the rest of nature and humanity, and thus a little numb to their challenges or suffering. And we tend to be blind to the connection between our individual choices and the problems facing the greater system. Again, not because we don’t care, but because humans tend to focus on the immediate, and if consequences don’t immediately affect those in our individual spheres, we see them as affecting a distant “other.” Other species, cultures, countries, the overall ecosystem, even future generations become “them” as opposed to “us.” We might feel bad for them, but it’s not our problem, we have plenty of those already. And because of the sense of disconnection, we may as feel as if there’s nothing we could do for “them” anyway, or perhaps on some level we don’t want to think to about what we might do for “them” because we don’t want to feel any guilt associated with the plight of the “other” in question.   

On right: Earth from 4 billion miles away, as Voyager 1 leaves the solar system, http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00452

But the reality is that we are all parts in one big system of life on Earth. We’re all in this together—it’s a cliché, but true. “You are here” on that tiny blue dot floating in space, and so is everyone or everything you’ve ever known or loved. All of the things that matter to you in your individual sphere, are parts of that greater system too, and as Chief Seattle said, “All things are connected. Whatever befalls the Earth befalls the children of the Earth.” Climate change is an excellent example. It might seem as if the effects will be in the distant future, but the impacts have already begun and do touch our individual spheres. According to the US EPA, climate change can increase the frequency and intensity of severe weather events, such as tropical storms or hurricanes. It will also impact air quality, increasing the frequency of days with unhealthy levels of ground-level ozone, impacting those with respiratory conditions. Climate change can impact food crops and plants that produce allergens to which so many people are sensitive. The geographic ranges of disease vectors, like ticks and mosquitos, will shift, and perhaps expand with climate change, impacting human health. And as artic ice melts, sea levels rise, and will negatively impact our coastal cities, which in turn creates ripple effects on inland cities, as those living in coastal areas begin to migrate and as loss of property and materials impact national economies. When any part of the greater system is negatively impacted, there are ripple effects that will impact other parts of that system. What happens to “them” really does mean something to “us.” 

The good news is, we’re all passionate about protecting our own homes and families. We go about doing that every day. So we already know how behave in ways to sustain the integrity and stability of our individual worlds. If we can see that the lines between “us” and “them” are really artificial, that there is no “other,” just one big human species struggling to survive along with all of its fellow Earthbound species on that fragile blue sphere circling the sun, then it will seem much more natural to behave in ways that foster the greater good. And while it might at first seem daunting to think that we’re in this together, facing the same challenges, that connection is actually empowering. For just as negative impacts ripple through the system to touch us all, positive impacts ripple as well, improving things in ways we might not be able to imagine. None of us has to try to save the whole world on own—we just need to recognize ourselves as citizens of a common planet, and do what comes naturally to us—protect our own, in some small way, every day. Maybe today you choose to walk somewhere instead of driving, or to buy locally grown produce instead of options from another state or country reducing the amount of fossil fuels burned on your behalf. Maybe you help your neighbor and build a sense of community and trust, or you choose to learn more about where and how the products you use are made, and the people who make them. Maybe you help a child learn something new, and encourage her to stay in school and do well. Whatever you , with more than your immediate sphere in mind, matters. And the more things you do, the more things you’ll realize you can do to foster positive impacts. Plus you’ll be an example that other individuals will want to follow. 

Source: http://livelearnevolve.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/IMG_1308.jpg

So thank you for all you choose to do, every day, to make our world better. Because We are Here, and we need each other to maintain the integrity and stability of our home.