The Angry Landscape Series Spring 2012
Long Island 1938
The blog had taken a respite, not from the work we were doing, but the chronicling of it. But in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, I feel compelled to hit the keyboard again to dash off an entry. I am astonished to see the battle in the news as to whether or not climate change is real. Despite scientific and anecdotal evidence otherwise, far too many reject the responsibility we humans have to the environment. The argument is like trying to convince a brick wall it needs mortar. It's only realized when the mortar fails and the wall crumbles. As the Northeast watched our homes succumb to the powerful storm at our shores, climate change is finally on the lips of some powerful politicians. Unfortunately it takes a tragedy to remind us the precarious relationship we have with nature. And the more you learn about our changing earth, the more you know has to be done. When I meet people who have dedicated their lives to saving the environment, whether it be birds, trees, or oceans, I ask them, how do you keep up the fight? How do you persevere when everyone else turns a blind eye? Their answers remind me of Anne Lamott's inspirational text Bird by Bird, where she recommends tackling big tasks step-by-step, or bird by bird.
So that's what I'm going to continue to do. I am going to try not to become overwhelmed by the magnitude of the task at hand. After all, saving the planet isn't the work of one person, or one community, or even one country. It's a movement that's going to require each one of us to work bird by bird until we hold off the momentum we've already set in motion.
2 comments:
Inspiring idea to ignore the enormity and focus on the smaller pieces. Those who save water, those who turn off the lights, and those who recycle may feel like their actions are insignificant, but we need to remind them that everything counts. And I like your connection to the momenta. In a way, that bird by bird approach to each play a small, yet still substantial, role reminds me of Malcolm Gladwell's idea of reaching a tipping point, where he discusses how small things can make a big difference. All of these seemingly small deeds, taken together, are what we need to collectively reach our tipping point and start fighting back, reversing the momentum before it's too late...
Thanks for the comment-- so if we keep pushing that rock up the hill-- we just might get to the top!
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