You don't need to know Step A
I was reading a discussion of Inconvenient Truth on WorldChanging, and was struck by what one person said about his friend's seeing the movie:
Actually, that's part of the point.
Gore is waking us up to the fact that these things are happening, and he is trying to encourage us to explore for ourselves "what we can do." If he told us "Do Step A, then Step B, etc," he would be no different from all the evangelists telling us how to find God, be free, save the world, whatever.
Our job is to take responsibility in our own lives, in our own context, with the means available to us (not to someone else). For some, that will mean cutting back on energy use. For others, it might mean joining a local effort to save some wetlands. For still others, it could mean changing careers.
The message for this person's friend is: Gore doesn't know what she should do. Only she can figure that out. And it doesn't mean she has to get it exactly right from Day 1.
Just try something! Form the intention to help, and then try to help. Evaluate how well it's going, and refine as necessary.
This is the Art of Life. We don't need people to tell us Step A in order to get started.
She was previously uninformed about global warming but receptive, and compelled by the movie. But she expressed this disappointment: "I did not feel I left the theater really knowing what I can do, and what I should do FIRST."
Actually, that's part of the point.
Gore is waking us up to the fact that these things are happening, and he is trying to encourage us to explore for ourselves "what we can do." If he told us "Do Step A, then Step B, etc," he would be no different from all the evangelists telling us how to find God, be free, save the world, whatever.
Our job is to take responsibility in our own lives, in our own context, with the means available to us (not to someone else). For some, that will mean cutting back on energy use. For others, it might mean joining a local effort to save some wetlands. For still others, it could mean changing careers.
The message for this person's friend is: Gore doesn't know what she should do. Only she can figure that out. And it doesn't mean she has to get it exactly right from Day 1.
Just try something! Form the intention to help, and then try to help. Evaluate how well it's going, and refine as necessary.
This is the Art of Life. We don't need people to tell us Step A in order to get started.
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home