I've always been a firm believer in the My Vote Counts Theory--the theory that I can make a difference in the Big Issues with my little action. That's why I don't download music from the net, why I enter the yogurt-lid ten-cent donation code on cupsofhope.com, why I use cloth shopping bags and ride my bike to the library.
But lately, I've gotten a bit discouraged with all the mayhem around. Even though I do all these things, musical artists' sales are still dropping, the economy is still slumping, and the environment is still choking. And the yogurt lid? Well, how much can ten cents really be worth in the fight against cancer?
Needless to say, I've lost some motivation.
What difference is one decision really going to make? It's not like the glaciers are all melting for the sole reason that some chick in Texas forgot her reusable shopping bags one grocery trip. It naturally follows that remembering my shopping bags isn't going to make them freeze again. So what's the point?
I don't have any inspiring insights for this blog post. This isn't an "I thought this, but then I thought of this" post. This is an "I thought this and can't find any evidence to the contrary" post.
Why should I even make the effort? Why should I go to the trouble to do all these good things if it's not going to make a difference? I used to think, "If everyone thinks that, nobody will do anything, and nothing will ever change, so I'd better get a move on saving the world in my small part." But really, I don't affect anyone else's decisions. It truly won't make a difference in carbon emissions if I ride my bike to the library one day instead of driving. My small decision is not going to influence the rest of the world to do the same. So why should I even bother?
This is a pretty depressing blog post. Oh well. Much love.
ZB
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