Some thoughts for Earth Day - The whole vs the individual.

   

    By the time I actually post this, Earth Day will have passed and honestly I could not think of a better way to celebrate Earth Day, than talk about the health of the planet and my personal healthier living goals.  No, this is not an ego post.

    However the two are intertwined.   There are only a few people on this planet that still deny that we humans have a negative impact on the planet.  We, as an entire collective species, also don't seem to care.  Frankly if we would have started changing things around 30 years; we may not be in the mess we are today.  But, here we are.

    That being said I'm not a climate scientist.  I don't have an advanced degree or specialized knowledge or even a crystal ball.   What I do have is a sense of history, an ability to take a large variety of data and connect the dots.  After all, I've made a living out of educated guesses based on the data I have at hand and I've been doing it fairly well for nearly 30 + years.

    So when I say this, I do so with love.   We're fucked.

    The planet's getting hotter, the weather is getting more extreme.  If you think immigration from South and Central America is bad now...wait and see what it's going to look like in 15 or 20 years as droughts continue to make life unbearable in some countries.  All life, all things are interconnected.  

    Individuals, however, are used to thinking about themselves. Individuals tend to take a short term view of the world and only see how it affects them directly.   If you "step back and see the whole picture" then the interconnection we share comes into focus.

    What can I do about the environment?  I'm just one person.  When the truth of the matter is it should have been "What can WE do?" all along.   People get stupid when they start thinking their individuality is more important than the group as a whole.  For example, wearing masks during a pandemic isn't about your rights.  It's about your responsibility to help prevent the spread of illness.

    However continuing down this path leads to politics; which is something I swore I would not ever bring into this blog.  

    Let's just say that the science and math failed us because they could never really explain how everything was interrelated.  The problem just seemed to complex and to unbelievable.  Now that we are experiencing the consequences of those actions on a day to day basis...it's more "real."   The changes proposed 30 years ago seemed outrageous to the individual and even though the group as a whole would have been better off.

    Now...science gives us figures that still seem unreal...and all the more deadly.   However change in never easy, if you study history, it's full of violence and unrest due to change.  It is one of the constants in this world along with death and taxes.  We are, to paraphrase an old Chinese curse, "living in interesting times.”

  

    So if our society isn't going to save us...it's up to the individual.  Frankly there are not enough of us individual’s that are willing to sacrifice or make the changes needed to change our society.   Societies don't change overnight...they take years, sometimes decades to evolve.    They only grow when enough individuals do the right thing.

    We are getting better at things.  We are recycling more.  Movements like Meatless Monday were once laughed at but are commonplace now.  The move to Green Energy is inevitable.  Still though, it's not going to be enough. 

    Thus I find myself in a bit of a pickle.  I know that my recycling helps, I know that my desire to garden helps.  I know that my working from home reduces my Carbon footprint.  I also know that a move towards a plant based diet helps.

  I also know that what I do is spitting into the ocean.  

    While I always tried to watch my salt intake (I've known since I was a young man that heart disease ran in my family), and eat healthy....I find myself moving towards a more plant based diet, at least in theory.  I have no desire to give up meat for example, but I am cutting back on the amount of meat I eat, while trying to increase the number of greens I eat.

    Overall this small step is good for the environment.   Because of my cheese making hobby, I thought I would make some vegan cheeses as an experiment, dipping my toe into a different lifestyle.

    I made some smoky black pepper cream cheese, that honestly tasted better after it had chilled for 24 hours, and a very simple vegan Parmesan cheese, which quickly became a family favorite and tastes better than the Parmesan cheese you would buy in a store.  

    My 30 year old step daughter was eating the Parmesan out of the container with a spoon, and if that is not high praise than I don't know what is.

    In the past month, since I've been watching my meat and caloric intake, I feel a little better.  I seem to have a bit more energy.  I've not weighed myself but I've noticed a change in my orientation.  I seem to be sleeping longer.  I'm planning on keeping better records moving forward.  

    Experimenting with vegan cheeses also means that I have to experiment with other foods now.   I have a jar of tahini now (which is wonderful on ice cream - so I cheated a little), but other than hummus...I'm not sure what I can use it for (Surprise - quite a bit).  Same for things like nutritional yeast and agar agar powder. 

    I'm still planning on making some additional vegan cheese, but why not introduce other flavors and healthier foods into the home as well?  Luckily the internet is full of ideas.

    Little steps that everyone can take matter...in the end though, it's still spitting in the ocean.   However what choice do you have?   What choice do I have?

    I am choosing to continue to spit in the ocean.  I am choosing to continue to make the helpful little changes where and however I can.  I am choosing to rage against the dying of the light.  

    Are you brave enough to join me?