Do It Anyways

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Yesterday, on my way back from walking along Botany Bay, I decided to take to the sand rather than the paved boardwalk. As I walked, I noticed bits of rubbish scattered amongst the shells, twigs and seaweed that decorate this particular beach. Disappointed by my own species, I decided to honor the Ocean by doing my part to clean up after the careless ones who had come before me.

It didn’t take long before I became overwhelmed by the work that needed to be done. At first glance there isn’t much that’s easily noted. When you really start to look, however, the amount of garbage that is left behind is staggering. I walked along, from rubbish bin to rubbish bin, depositing armfuls of waste. I reached a stretch of beach that was particularly discouraging. “This could be a full time job!” I thought to myself. All I had was little ol’ me, not even a bag to carry all the rubbish in. It simply could not be done. All the loads I’d carried had only scratched the surface of the problem. Even if I did this daily, the problem would not be solved. The root of the issue has to be severed. Unfortunately, it just so happens that the root issue is: humans. Humans and their self-imposed entitlement to selfishness. Although generally motivated by money, the threat to be fined up to $300 for littering hasn’t stopped them. So far I haven’t seen anyone around that would enforce such a law.

So, I gave up. Saddened by my own race and by my powerlessness to make a significant difference in caring for our earth, I trudged through the shallows of the Ocean’s tide. I spoke to Her. I told her I was sorry for the lack of respect and appreciation she has endured. I told her I wanted to make it better.

Then it struck me. What I was experiencing was a microcosm of a phenomenon that has occurred over and again in our history, on an individual level. We see something that disturbs us, some social justice issue that we want to change; want to make a difference in. We set out, ablaze with a fiery enthusiasm to change the world! It doesn’t take long before we are weighed down by the gravity of the situation, and the task before us is more than a little daunting. If we don’t have a whole team of people fighting for the same cause (and sometimes even if we do), we give up. “What can I ever truly do?” we ask ourselves. “Im just one person…”

My only answer is this: Do it anyways. Lead by example. In a world that feeds off of instant gratification, we must continue to patiently do the work of one, trusting that it will one day become the work of many. Together we can hope for a permanent, root-deep, systemic change in the future. What we must learn to accept is that we may not be around to see this transformation, but at least we can be at peace knowing that our demonstrative love for Creation and Creator was the impetus for lasting change.