Throwing in the Towel on Climate Change? Not Yet, Thanks to Shane Koyczan

I have been sick for two weeks, laid low by a tenacious flu bug that's had me on a roller coaster of sore throats, coughing fits, horrifying headaches, plugged up ears (and still the autumn's rains were thunderous!), dizziness, clumsiness and fatigue ... huge, life-sucking fatigue. 

I haven't felt this sick in, well, maybe never. It sure has boosted my empathy for those with chronic illnesses, and it's given me greater admiration for my hubby, who has been battling chronic fatigue syndrome for many, many years. 

In the middle of all this, I had a breakdown. Cried and cried for hours. Realized how useless this little effort at raising climate change awareness has been ... how puny all of my efforts have been in the face of the enormity and all-pervasiveness of the climate change emergency. 

Yes, you could call it a pitiful self-pity party. But it was probably more a sudden and traumatic acceptance of how many (thousands or millions) more people we need in this fight. 

I was ready to throw in the towel. I decided that this would be my last blog post. Ever. (Okay, stop with the applause. ;-)

Then, I received this. Shane Koyczan's Shoulders. 



How can I give up now? I am part of that collective Atlas holding up the world. It's not the time for anyone to give up, it's time for more people to join in. (Which reminds me of another time I thought it was the end of this blog.)

And about that F-bomb, which some have said will keep this spoken word poem from going viral, Shane has this to say:

The fact that the world is more concerned with a single word over the fact that our planet is in crisis, just shows how completely lost we are. Every day we are subjected to images and articles of intense violence... but still we choose to object to a word that describes our feelings about the situation, rather than the actual situation itself. Our planet is dying... I can think of no more appropriate time to use this word... I can think of no better word to describe the immeasurable scope of despair and frustration I feel toward our treatment of the planet.

(Shane has discovered something I realized a couple of years ago ... that people are adamant -- they don't want to feel bad. They would rather their children die a horrible death in the future than have to feel bad today thinking about it. Alas, there is much to be done.)

182 Days to Copenhagen - Courage is Feeling the Fear and Doing It Anyway: The Kingsnorth Six

Climate change activism is a study in courage these days. It takes guts to stand up for the children of all species and for all future generations if you're living in a culture that deifies now, me, and this quarter's profits, and that has no space in its heart for the rest of Nature.

So when I come across inspiring examples of ordinary citizens doing extraordinarily courageous things to raise the alarm on global warming and the climate change emergency, it would be selfish of me not to share them.

Here's an excerpt from one such story in the UK's Guardian, a tale of six people who risked death and jail terms to make a powerful point about coal-fired energy in England: Why Six Britons Went to Eco War.

"When six activists, protesting against climate pollution, scaled a tower at a coal-fired power station in 2007 the resulting court case drew support from the world's leading scientists. Their subsequent acquittal proved historic and changed government policy."

Reading the full story first (at the link above) before clicking to watch the video below will make your viewing richer and more meaningful. Be inspired!

(p.s. To muster up your courage in the face of deniers, skeptics and apathetics, just remember the children - and the precautionary approach.)

A Time Comes - the story of the Kingsnorth Six from Greenpeace UK on Vimeo

(If this version doesn't work for you, visit The Guardian.)