I believe…
… that I don’t always have the right answers.
This month’s Green Mom’s Carnival topic (which will be published tomorrow on The Smart Mama blog) is “I believe.” Once again, I’m struggling with the theme because when it comes down to it, I recognize that whatever beliefs I hold are merely thoughts in my own head which are subject to revision at any time. So, with that qualification, here is a list of what I believe as I sit here at my computer tonight.
I believe that each of our individual actions ripples out and affects the rest of the world. We are not separate from each other or the rest of the universe, so why should we think what we do doesn’t matter?
I believe in the power of the Internet to spread ideas, both creative and destructive, and that each of us is responsible for the content we send into Cyberspace (blog posts, comments, emails, etc.) as well as what we choose to take in.
I believe that one woman tallying her plastic waste each week and recording her personal struggles to live lightly on the planet can be an inspiration to others trying to do the same thing. But ten bloggers or a hundred or a thousand writing about living with less plastic can inspire exponentially. I believe I’d like more of you to join up!
I believe that plastic represents both the best of human ingenuity and the worst of human arrogance and that the arrogance of our disposable culture could be our downfall if we don’t stop to care for all the materials that pass through our hands.
I believe I could be proven wrong about plastic, and that there are no perfect answers, and that sometimes I contradict myself. I believe my perfect imperfections are just part of being human.
I believe more and more in getting off the computer and out into the world. I believe that the 1,020 email message in my in-box will have to wait until tomorrow because I have a husband and kitties to hang out with and dinner to make.
What do you believe?
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I believe it’s almost 11 pm and I’m still answering email. Time to unplug, but so glad that this way of connecting is available. Thanks for delivering us from plastic.
You ARE an amazing example for us all and the lesson you are teaching the world is incredibly valuable and important. Words are powerful, but not as indelible as images. I believe that you should chronicle some of what you have learned about the plastic in our lives on film. I’m sure we would all be astounded to learn how ubiquitous it has become in our lives.
You inspire me to analyze my plastic use and purchases. I don’t know you, but I can almost hear you saying look at all that plastic, don’t buy that!
I do hope us green bloggers make a difference. Sometimes it is hard to know if we are.
And it is endearing that you like cheese as a treat (as do I– I live in Vermont, after all).
Thanks for these thoughtful comments, Beth. I appreciate your hopefulness.
I love your blog and it is a great inspiration. I think about plastic in a very different way now and try and make choices that reflect that.
You may be interested in this article by Bhikkhu Bodhi, https://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/bodhi/bps-essay_09.html
It talks about the Buddha’s saying that you use in this post. What you have is not quite what the Buddha said according to the recorded scriptures. It is one of the most frequently misquoted sayings of the Buddha. From that article are links to the translation of the whole sutta.
Keep up the good work. I believe you are making a big difference, and even if I cannot know that to be true, it is certainly beneficial to believe that you are.
I think that all people are good :)
Nice post, Beth. Like you, I believe in the power of the Internet. That’s why I’m here. I believe in doing lots of stuff irl but I just can’t let go of the Internet – too big of a soapbox. :)
What a lovely post, Beth. I’ll be interested to see what your experience is with rechargeable AAs. I got some, but they had a larger circumference than disposable AAs. They wouldn’t fit in my flashlight, and they wouldn’t work in my programmable thermostat. Hmmmmm.
Very nicely put Beth – especially the part about there not always being a right answer. I believe it is always important to try!
I believe that…
We are just another form of life sharing with all the other forms the drive to reach out and consume.
We are unlike other forms of life in being capable of reflection on what we do
We are ruled by our emotions with reason following a distant second
We alone are responsible for what we do – there is no higher power, benevolent or otherwise – that offers direction or forgiveness for our behavior
The period that has just ended will always remain as the time during which thoughtless consumption reached a peak, the teenage years of humanity when we thought ourselves immortal and unconstrained.
There is such a thing as progress and I define it as our increasing appreciation of our connection with other life. There have been other cultures that have had this appreciation but we have had to learn it for ourselves painfully through much destruction.
Looking down on the earth from afar, a rodent, a weed and a human are of equivalent worth and the future of one of no more consequence than the other – all are branches of the same tree. Nothing cares about our survival but us. Our challenge is to begin to match our incredibly high opinion of ourselves with our behavior.
To say of ourselves – “we reached to the stars” could well be our epitaph.
To say instead – “we discovered the universe in ourselves and became caretakers” could see us through.
I believe that some people still read newspapers (me). Saw your article in my Philadelphia Inquirer this morning. Going to add your blog to my list and check it out….. I know I have tons of plastic in my life, maybe you can inspire me to cut it down.
A man has to believe in something…I believe that when I get home form work I will have some ice cream.
Other than that I believe that all people are born good, but somewhere along the way something happens to some to change that
Great post. Some how I always forget to write mine.. grrr!