I listen everyday to the prez and the congressional "leaders" talk about how terrible things are and how hard work and sacrifice are needed. Okay. I am in. I am more that willing to do my part, sacrifice and work hard to help get this country back on track. Here is the problem - I don't believe that everyone feels the same way. I think the vast majority of people are still just trying to "get theirs" and have really no longterm vision of what we as a nation should be doing.
The purpose of this diary is to talk about what we are willing to sacrifice to make things better in these tough times and hopefully come out a stronger, safer, cleaner, smarter country in the end. I believe that small measures by individuals coupled with a broad vision by countries working together are both important in the fix. So we debate all the time about what our leaders are doing. I want to know what you are doing to help make things better.
The problems we face both nationally and globally can become overwhelming if you ponder all of them at once. Global economic meltdown, global warming, energy crisis and the inequalities with food and educational availability around the world not to mention religious extermism are just the tip of the iceberg. So, what the hell do I do? How can I contribute? Here is what I am doing and i want your ideas for what else a single person can do.
I am a 34 year old wife and mother living in the midwest. I have a professional degree and worked full time until my first child was born 14 months ago. Since then I work part time on my husbands days off - though he has a side job as well so there is not much free time built into our schedules. In these days of crisis my focus has been on my home, my child, our food and what we can do at home to try to help.
I have a summer garden, compost pile, enormous recycling bins, no pesticides, make my own nontoxic cleaning supplies, eat locally and organically as much as is possible and affordable, cloth diaper and hang clothes outside to dry in the warmer weather, cook our food - we rarely eat out or by prepared foods. We drive a sensible car, use hand me down clothing, don't take vacations, pay cash for everything. The funny thing is I don't think of any of this as sacrifice and actually enjoy doing these things.
I think that for the past couple of decades we just lost the willingness to do things for ourselves and to think about the consequences of our actions. On all levels. From the very personal individual choices we make to the national level we have been take take taking with no regard for the future and for the world we live in. Ridiculous spending by corporate America and the government seems to have been the only thing that has trickled down to the middle class. A readjustment of values and priorities is needed.
My sacrifice has been time. It takes more time to hang clothes outside, it takes more time to cook my own food, it takes more time to walk to the store instead of drive, it takes more time to make my own cleaning products. But our family feels the difference - both economically and in our health.
I would love to volunteer some of this time but hard to do with a 14 month old to bring along. I have always wanted to volunteer with literacy programs and help adults learn to read or speak English. Unfortunately my schedule does not allow me that free time right now. Hopefully someday.
I believe that it is a return to a simpler life less focused on the stuff and much more focused on quality of life that is what will help us through this time. Think about the effects that would be had if we all drove less, walked more, cooked real food for ourselves, read more, talked with our families more, really worked on the things that mattered rather than join the ratrace to the "top". I really believe that the world over would be improved dramatically if we westerners learned to stop just consuming products and started living actual lives. What an example we could set for developing countries if they had a model of sustainability and personal responsibility to strive for rather than just consumption.
I know that here at DKos I may just be preaching to the choir so I am also interested in how to spread this idea of personal responsibility and small steps by the individual being the basis for big, real change.
So please, tell me what you are doing to sacrifice and contribute during this hard time. Tell me what we all can do to sacrifice and contribute during this hard time. I am feeling like I want to do more and look to you for more ideas. This is the grassroots stuff that I am interested in so please, give me your ideas. Thanks in advance.