20/03/2022
Working on this:
The 6 C's of change and growing towards a better planet
Our family was talking about action and what we can do to make a difference in how we live on and treat this planet - the changes we can make. It was a discussion that took us beyond just not using straws and throwing money at every problem hoping that would be an easy fix. We came up with the 6 C's:
CONNECTION TO NATURE
Clearly, this C is the most critical of all the changes to be made. We humans have lost a deep connection with nature that we once had to nurture in order to survive. Without this connection, there is a human hubris that believes our survival is unrelated to the place upon which we stand. What any human can do on a daily basis to reconnect to the natural environment in ways they currently do not will only help us all.
CONVENIENCE
We as a human race need to move away from convenience when and where it feeds into over-consumption, depletion of resources and excessive waste. We recognize how reliant we have become on convenience to lead our modern lives and look for solutions to transitioning away from it in the most feasible stages possible.
COMFORT ZONE
We as a family realize how easily we hide inside our comfort zones and avoid making changes to our lives that destabilize this cocoon we may have built for ourselves. However, we also realize that pushing ourselves outside the comfort zone allows us to work on improvement within all of the other C's and engage in the planet and the human race in a more flexible and connected way.
COMMUNITY
We do not live in a vacuum. We cannot survive longterm without one another. To think banishing another from one's thoughts, sight, interactions, etc can eliminate the connection and the repercussions to them is naive. We can only go forward reaching out and taking each others' hand, no matter how difficult this is to swallow.
CONSCIOUS CONSUMERS
When we do not know from where our products come, from what they are made, and how this is impacting the ecosystems and the environment, we make choices that are not beneficial to any of us. Perhaps, in the short-term, one will have a nicer house, extra recreational toys, the exotic foods they desire. However, we have the power to buy, use and resource all the things we need (perhaps not all the things we WANT) in ways that will not degrade the place in which we live. If an irreplaceable old-growth tree falls in the forest miles from anyone to hear it, does it still effect the rest of the planet? The butterfly effect says "YES".
CONTEXT
The last C is context as it relates who we are, how we got here, and where we are heading. Those who don't understand historical context, are condemned to repeat similar mistakes. Those who don't understand scientific context, make assumptions that don't follow. Those who don't understand social context, cannot motivate and speak appropriately to the masses they wish to inspire. For us, context is a fancy C-word for educating yourself.
I hope these help you. They are helping us navigate as a family towards living in a way we can be proud of. The pace to set is one that makes sense to you and yours, while understanding the necessity and timeliness of the work to be done.
In Solidarity with Citizens of the Earth!
