Perhaps we all need to work together in order to preserve the Earth.
We tend to act like toddlers and trash the gift given to us.
This trashing happens in many different ways.
Do we continue with the “we’re all dying every day anyway” type of attitude?
Or could we see the world with the attitude of “how can I chip in” or “what can I do to play my part”
The world is far from perfect.
If only we as a people group could come to our senses and help it to age a little more gracefully.
By doing so we’d come to help ourselves age a bit more gracefully as well.
Trashy Toxins
We have a huge plastic problem, starting with single-use plastics.
Think about a daily used k-cup for coffee, or getting a stopper or straw when ordering a coffee.
Purchasing clothing primarily made with Polyester.
Polyester is cheaper and a leading fabric on the market in any given store.
Not only does it wreak havoc on our planet it also affects our health.
Most importantly, what harm does it do, if you’re reading this, to take stock of your household?
Assess the level at which your current contribution is to the world’s plastic problem.
Our family did this a few years back, it was eye-opening.
Albeit we are still on the journey since 2020 to become a plastic-free family.
Because it doesn’t happen overnight, it takes time, but small steps are still steps, and good steps at that!
Meanwhile, being mindful, picking a place, and starting, one step at a time.
Eliminates that much more.
We’ve cut plastic by switching to bar and hair care soaps vs bottles in the bathrooms.
In the kitchen, we’ve switched to all metal water bottles.
This is a personal favorite and an easy small change and a big first step.
Committing to replacing your plastic water bottle with metal.
Taking water with you wherever you go eliminates buying individual bottles while out and about.
For cleaning products, we’ve switched to a one-container refill that we divide into 3 different cleaning bottles – all glass!
We’re working our way into dishware and Tupperware next.
If nothing else, check out this sweet site!
https://www.theenvironmentexcuse.org/
It may give a few ideas.
Head Hurdles
While the above focuses on the outward view of the world.
The below focuses on the inward way in which we view the world.
Brief History:
The world wide web – was launched in 1993.
Google in 1998.
3G/4G in 2001-2006.
Facebook in 2004.
YouTube 2005.
Streaming Services like Hulu joined Netflix in 2007.
Instagram in 2010.
All the way up to TikTok 2017.
Now the world of AI is unfolding.
I’m grateful to have been in my last year of College as FB was launching.
I am an easily distracted person. The world our children will grow up in is a whole different universe.
The world was once a place where you had to wait and be okay with waiting.
Cell phones in the late 90s were so heavy, and awkward that you hid them in your glovebox.
Patience was still a virtue, that was quickly beginning to fade.
Year by year, more is becoming available to us.
There is no longer a time when you need to sit alone with your thoughts.
You can slap a bandaid of distraction over those thoughts and call it good.
The more the world becomes available to our fingertips the less we have to process the world.
Why process it when you can just download it? If you don’t like what’s in front of you, switch it up.
Letting the world process our thoughts and feelings for us… makes us live on autopilot.
And if you’re on autopilot, you’re no longer in control.
Start by taking a step back and putting the distractions down long enough to see what it is that distracts you.
For instance, start with what holds your heart, and how does it make your heart feel?
As a result, start taking mini steps to take back your own life and find feeling again. It is okay to feel.
This is an article on Mental Health that I’d read recently and found a lot of truth in: By Mighty Pursuit.
Too many things in this life give our heads and hearts hurdles to jump over.
What if we just plain started knocking those hurdles down?
Fast Forward
What kind of planet are we creating for our Children?
If you don’t have kids think of those who come after us.
Both in the physical and mental sense. We’ve got to help get out of this rut.
We’re just going through the motions and okay with that.
Not really taking notice of how the things around us in our lives are slowly dying.
Look at the increase in natural disasters, due to global warming, that’s on us, collectively.
Or in more recent news, another school shooting.
If we aren’t tending to our minds, and being mindful of the minds of others. Gaps are being created.
We are in a place where having the ability to download too much information, and the state of our minds, as we download it, might not be a healthy combination. How do we fix it?
Create Censoring
Did you know that the human brain is not fully formed until your 20s? The later 20s at that.
Also, censoring our children or ourselves does not take away freedom. Censoring doesn’t mean we’re controlling everything. It means just we censor what is in front of us daily. Help to navigate the world, our thoughts, feelings, state of our hearts with what we put in front of us.
There are proven studies that show people who listen to heavy rock/metal tend to be more aggressive.
There are studies that show playing violent video games can bring out aggression or violent tendencies.
What we listen to, watch, and play, too much of it, can alter one’s brain chemistry. It’s not about saying you can’t watch this or play that. It’s about helping to find a balance. Setting limits, and figuring out how to incorporate happier games, shows, and music, into the more intense stuff.
Or, knowing when to take a break.
If you set rules, and guidelines, for your kids consider following them yourself.
They look up to you, they watch our every move.
Plus we should take the above into consideration for ourselves.
I know that all the distractions that are out there in the world can get me feeling pretty short-circuited.
Wholesome World
To sum up, the whole world could stand to be a little more wholesome.
Both in the physical and mental state. So let us put down our distractions and use the internet for good! Dig into some research and see what we can do to be part of the solution instead of the problem.
Above all, see what we can do tomorrow to start making choices that will slow down our demise.
Get your kids involved in the research, it will give them something to do, and they’ll learn from it.
Not only will they learn from it, but they’ll grow from it.
That growth will lead to literal new growth in the world around them.
Their mental states will improve just by taking action, as will ours. Slowly a shift will happen.
* Bold Orange words within the blog lead to other links!