Open Letter

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There is a saying that holds a lot of truth… We Do Not Inherit the Earth from Our Ancestors; We Borrow It from Our Children. I used to hear it a lot when travelling on Air New Zealand flights. And it always makes me think about how deep its gets and to what extent it should govern our lives. For in our pursuit of more, we often forget about our children and what planet they will receive from us, when our rent is over. What house are we going to leave behind? Are we going to be the good tenants that leave behind a better house, nicely furnished, clean and painted on the outside and inside, with improvements built along the way and planning for future additions? Or are we going to be the bad tenants that brought the walls down, destroyed the furnishing, broken down windows and generally forgot that they live in a house and not in a cave?

I used to think that climate change action is the remit of governments. That the power to stop bad behaviours and encourage new, better ones lies solely with the powers that rule countries. But I have come to understand that truth is always in the middle, hiding in the shadows of the grays.

These days I think that the responsibility sits with all of us. It is not just governments’ control. It is something that we can also influence through our choices. For everyday we can make choices that take in consideration environmental impact. We can choose products that have been built in sustainable ways, with a small carbon footprint. This, in the long run, through numbers will sway the balance to organisations that embrace the balance that might bring us on a better path towards the future. It will weed out those that don’t care about the planet or the future. Or it will make them reconsider their practices so that they are forced to adapt in order to survive.

We can demand more from companies and governments, we can say no to consumerism, and profits and pollution. We are many in our pursuit of a better future. It is our children’s lives that we are fighting for. We need to get past the selfishness of ME and move towards the benefit of US and future US. We are not built in this way, it will take a while to fight our inner workings. But it is a war worth fighting for.

To reduce environmental impact, we can adopt several practices.

1. Energy Consumption: One effective approach is to minimise energy consumption by using energy-efficient appliances, and implementing energy-saving initiatives such as turning off lights and electronics when not in use.
2. Reduce, reuse, and recycle materials to minimize waste.
3. Buy if needed / buy the right thing: Choose sustainable and eco-friendly products. In our chase to buy more, first ask ourselves if we need a new thing… If yes, then pick the one that has the least environmental impact. It is not just energy efficiency, but the impact that producers have on our world. Choose the ones that actually make a difference, the ones that have the right practices in place to protect the environment. And constantly ask this from everyone that sells you something. How do they play their part in our efforts to build a better future?
4. Treat water as gold. Water is and will be one of the most important resources of our world. We often forget that we cannot live without it. So treat it like a precious resource that has to be used wisely. All of us can implement water conservation measures, like harvesting rain water and use it for various needs around the house. We can also demand local governments to invest more in water retention solutions and treat water leaks whenever possible.
5. Use environmentally friendly transportation means like walking, biking, or using public transportation. Invest in EVs and stop demanding for fossil fuels cars. Without demand, these types of vehicles will slowly disappear and the focus will shift on EVs. We will also put less pressure on existing and new sources of fossil fuel.

Let’s all play our part for a better future. Let’s imagine a future where we have adverted climate change, where our descendants have their chance at a good life, that allows them to prosper and evolve… not scramble for food, water and air.

Fear

I open my eyes to the vast sea 

A huge moon hanging over the horizon whispers 

I am afraid to go forwards

I am afraid to go backwards

In stillness I find peace

I close my eyes to my thoughts 

The stars shine brightly on the stillness

The waves crash then they let go 

There is no stopping of the madness 

I am afraid to say yes

I am afraid to say no

I am afraid there is no tomorrow

North Star

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I am sure this is not a new concept and lots of people have come across it in a shape or another. We either encounter it formally through various personal improvement courses, or we read about it or we just use it naturally in our day to day lives, without thinking too much of theories or even knowing what is called. We also call it differently and use it based on our needs at certain points in our life.

It is worth acknowledging that we either apply this naturally without previous knowledge or we have been trained to use it and reap the benefits.

And then there is the case when we do not use it at all and its absence is a force that we do not fell and miss acutely. We lose our compass, we feel like we are drifting aimlessly and go through existential crisis. Most of the time we do not understand why this uncertain state is happening, as we are neither aware nor trained to recognise the signals. We might not even know that we are missing something and unable to figure out what to do about it.

But what is a North Star? For me, it is a guiding principle that I use to help me make decisions. It is not a goal in itself, although it could be interpreted as such. It is more of a compass that tells me if I am getting closer or farther away from what I am trying to achieve. It is not a framework to say yes or no or an easy way to get out of making decisions. For we are free to make whatever choice we feel is right for us and live with the consequences of that choice. And remember that life is not about black and white, right and wrong.

When do we use it? It can be as simple as use it when facing into a decision by understand if that gets you closer to your North Star or not. If it doesn’t, you have the choice of saying no and walk away.

But you can also see that the choice might take you in the same direction of travel, but with a slight detour and not via a direct path. And it is in your power to continue, knowing that at some point you will need to adjust direction.

Our North Stars can be big or small, life changing goals or less important but relevant to the stage of our life that we at. It can be a life principle or a goal we want to attain. It can be anything that we want or need. And it can change over time, just as we are changing and our priorities shift.

But by all means have on. By having it, gives meaning to your life and helps you to move in a purposeful direction as opposed to wandering.

Find your North Star today. It can be easy as you might already unconsciously know what it is. Or it might take a bit of soul searching and really thinking about what you want from life and yourself. Do not despair if you cannot find it. Sometimes the clouds might cover the stars. But remember that clouds are not permanent and all we need to do is be patient and give orselves time.

Once you find your North Star and put it up in the sky it will be a guiding light that will help you stay the course. You will continue to use its light to guide your path and understand your choices better.

Human nature

Optimism alone cannot save us.

I often ponder about human nature and history. And how human nature, with its short span of evolution, influences history. It is an invisible force, working with an insidious tenacity, manipulating and forming causality around it.

Studying history and looking at the big events that were recorded, we always ask ourselves why certain civilisations fell. We try to dissect the causes and the effects of a number of variables that combined led to a certain outcome. We never factor human nature as we say it is too insignificant to touch something of large scale.

At the same time, we observe that sometimes even one person can change the course of history. I do not believe that is the case. As ultimately underneath all that, it is human nature and it’s predictability that more often than not influences and shapes the things we read in the history books.

We also ask why haven’t our predecessors understood the road they were taking and its potential destination. It is a question that we are asking ourselves too many times, in too many contexts. For we are limited in what we see and understand while the events are unfolding around us. And this is where human nature plays a significant part.

We have not evolved yet to see past our immediate needs. We do not extend that to our offsprings, no matter how much we say we do. We continue to be driven by what makes us happy, by what satisfies our needs, by our desires. We are selfish, we never think beyond the immediate “ME”. And that is how history unfolds around us… and we are oblivious to it, oblivious to the road and oblivious to the destination.

So what is human nature? I often find myself predicting a way a person would act, think or behave. And all of that is based on human nature at the centre of what drives a person. As we are all wired in very similar ways, we tend to act in similar ways if put under pressure or without overlapping our rational and logical layer. And a lot of people act in this way, creating a critical mass that shapes our history. And hence we have human nature at the core of history going wrong and at the same time in this endless cycle of repetition.

I think we are running out of time… There is not enough of it to allow us to evolve. We have grown destructive means around us, we are touching the world around us in significant ways. It doesn’t give us room and we are stuck in a do or die situation. I pray that we get in the DO boat, before we get in the drown one.