I Cannot Directly Change Anything

But personal choices can make a difference on a global scale

I often ask people if they care about the planet. I get all sorts of answers.

Some are passionate, and others do not care. Some are activists, and others watch television all day. Some are writers, and others are dancers. Even if we choose different states of living, we are still breathing the same air. We are still consuming food from the same planet. I chose to live and think sustainably as much as I can. Some did not. Unfortunately, I cannot change anything about it directly.

I spend my day working in nature, observing the blooms of life. I sometimes feel perpetuated by a system that works for most of us under risks. I do not feel the bliss of my ignorance. Climate change and the human impact are essential facts of my life. Or maybe I worry too much about things that I cannot directly change anything.

I like diving. The world down there is entirely different. Animals are distinct from what we usually see. Colours can be brightening until blinding. The life symbiosis is evident and distinct species rely on one another. Yet coral bleaching never stops. More than 29% of coral loss around the world happens every year. One of the most important sanctuaries for biodiversity is now compromised. Some people tried to speak up in the past, but their arguments seemed to disappear in the wind. Carbon dioxide releases into the atmosphere, where 93% of stores in the oceans. The warming water temperatures are destroying the underworld nurseries. This coral reef ecosystem is disappearing, and I cannot directly do anything about it.

Leaders of the world are playing chess with nature. They are leaving aside the wellbeing of people for their role of selfish governance. They have the power of ruling. They could use their power to assist everyone, but instead, let the promise of money ordain the destruction of the planet.

Money that cannot be eaten, planted or germinated for a common purpose. Leaders like Jair Bolsonaro, the Brazilian president, is one of the worst destroyers of this planet. If Bolsonaro were in a position where the militias did not protect him, things could differ. If he were not given sovereignty, the voice, and the right of manipulation, he would have been just an odd crazy bloke. His words would vanish through his self-pollution, causing people to ignore him. Yet, it is far from reality. Brazil is burning, and I cannot directly change anything.

Native animals are dying, ecosystems are getting disturbed, ecological unbalance is a fact, and humans cause all this. Humans introduced exotic species into sensitive ecosystems for a long time. Some environments deal better than others, but some are under threat. Feral cats in Australia, for instance, kill several native mammals, birds, lizards, frogs, and insects every year. Their numbers are increasing. They do not have predators apart from us. Killing feral cats may help small areas to recover, but it is not the only solution. Environment awareness and education could be better weapons to fight this problem. Yet, I cannot directly do anything about it.

This sense of incapability to change what I love frustrates the shit out of me. It makes me cry now and then. It suffocates my voice into the darker corner of the room.

Thus, after all, it instigates me to go further. To go deeper into empathy with nature. This pessimism described above is a driving force that ought to be considered a point of change. A window of opportunity to grow as an individual towards a personal purpose of surrender. A slight chance of understanding nature and pass the knowledge onwards for new generations.

I know I cannot directly change anything for now, but it does not mean I will stop caring about the natural world.