Active Hope, written by Joan Macy, is an interesting read that discusses many topics regarding social and environmental change in the modern world. Joan Macy employs many ideas to engage the reader into her point of view and outlines the book in a very different way that distinguishes it from other books.
(Quote 1) To begin with “Reflecting on Success” on page 226; this part of the book inspired me. Her quote “If the change we want doesn’t happen in our lifetime, does that mean we will never experience success? For the encouraging boost we get when we know we’re moving forward, we need to find markers of progress we can spot more easily and often.” Not only is this quote important but it can be relevant to many things we live through and foresee daily. For example, if one is trying to achieve a certain fitness goal, it is not the brightest outlook to just select a very far-fetched goal and not track small points of progress beforehand. In fact, if one was to do such a thing, it would be rather challenging since frustration and injury would occur before one could even see any results since the results are not being analyzed closely enough.
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Without closely analyzing certain key points, success is rather construed to be a challenging task. Personally, if I was to complete a task at hand, it is best to try to tackle the task through breaking it down into small goals. Whether it is an essay I am writing or a 2 mile-run, it is important to recognize this relativity. I think if we can apply this to the issues and problems within the world of environmentalism, then hope and change as Macy believes will occur, however, on a relatively microscopic scale not foreseeable with the human
Now I believe that this is an extremely important motto due to the fact that you can use this in every aspect of your life as I stated above. If your mind and body are prepared for any obstacle that is thrown your way there is nothing that can stop you. This hits me strongly because I believe that when you set your mind to a goal in order to better yourself you need to set them out of reach so you continue to grow stronger as an individual.
Just like this quote has impacted my life and many others, many more quotes will impact the lives of everyone. Whether it be good or bad, it is up to us to decide what we accept to influence us. As we as seniors, move onto the next steps in our lives, it is important that we all have at least one great quote, which will stay with us
The thesis of “Despair Not” is “… the time has come for outspoken, full-throated heroism in the face of the great moral danger of our own day: the environmental crisis – an unfolding calamity whose main victims are our own children and grandchildren.”
As The World Burns: 50 Simple Things You Can Do To Stay In Denial, by Derrick Jensen and Stephanie McMillan, is a graphic novel about the state of our environment. They use cartoons and abundant sarcasm to convey the message that the attempts people are making to save the environment are not enough to do any real good. Their message challenges both those of Edward O. Wilson and the University of Connecticut in that Jensen and McMillan’s ideas are much more radical and suggest that the ideas posed by Wilson and UConn, such as the importance of recycling and sustainability efforts, are ineffective at saving the environment. We must resolve the challenges posed by Jensen and McMillan so that all of the ideas put forth in the sources may work together rather than against each other. In order to do this we must accept that some of the ideas given by Jensen and McMillan may be too extreme to do any real good and that the ideas suggested by Wilson and UConn, though slightly ineffective, are nonetheless important steps in saving the environment. Taken alone, none of their ideas will save the environment; instead it is necessary to combine the ideas of Wilson, UConn, and Jensen and McMillan in order to create a more realistic plan to save the planet.
Louie Zamperini was a young boy who lived in Torrance, California, living his early years with a troublesome attitude. His childhood was filled with hatred, anxiety, sorrow, but in the end, it all led to happiness. Louie was a young man competing as an olympic athlete, until he went off to war as a bombardier. As he and his crew members flew a B-24 over the Pacific ocean, his life had turned upside down. The character traits of optimism and resourcefulness that Louie demonstrates in Unbroken written by Laura Hillenbrand, helped him get through the hardest times in life.
The quote teaches a valuable lesson too. The lesson it teaches later in life or sooner is that if you just wait, soon it will later happen, you must be patient and later something unremarkable and so valuable you would do outstanding, and once you do that it will or should remain a memory or it should.
Americans, as a whole, do not care about the environment anymore. When we watch the news or simply talk about our day, there are always more pressing topics that come up. However, as a nation, the threat of a failing environment seems to be forgotten because the effects are not as obvious as other threats. Bill McKibben’s “Waste Not, Want Not” discusses how much time, money, resources, and people America has actually wasted and how little effort has been made to try to change. McKibben causes readers to think it is too late to save the environment from our wastefulness because we put our efforts into systems that do not help the environment, spend more money and resources than necessary, and refuse to acknowledge how much were wasting.
Most of the time people get so caught up talking about making a difference, rather than focusing in taking action to solve the problem. In the essay “Why Bother” by Pollan, the writer describes people’s attitudes regarding climate change and he offers possible solutions if people just try to help. The idea of “why bother” refers to people’s expectations when it comes to making a difference, like driving less, but these individuals believe that one person doesn't have such power in solving a problem. However, Pollan then says, “If you do bother you will set an example to other people” pg. 317. With this said, Pollan not only bring out a solution but also hope.
To start with, Pezzullo successfully demonstrates how citizens critically interrupt the success story narrative about environmental activism in Warren County. Throughout the course of this reading, we see the residents of Warren County try to come up with a new conclusion to those narratives, one of which would include environmental cleanup. Additionally, Pezzullo presents two rhetorical tensions
Harassment, exclusion, physical assault, these things should not have to be suffered by anyone. Well that’s all what speak is about, Melinda, a freshman who is bullied and ignored for calling the police during a summer party. But that’s not what I’m here to talk about, I’m talking about why it’s important to be courageous, and I’m using the book speak, as an example. Put simply, it’s important to be courageous because everyone has to stand up for themselves.
That is the message William’s words left echoing in my mind. Invisible seeds, deep in my awakening imagination. William’s words, written with her pen, that acts not as a pen, but more like a sword striking out against environmental injustices. Clever words, delivered with careful and planned precision. Crafted to alert, outrage and then inspire in each of us. To become environmentally and socially responsible. She is more skillful than you realize at first. She
The significance of this quote is that it explains that nobody controls your life. You are meant to live life instead of being told on how to live life
In his esteemed novel, “Blessed Unrest: How the Largest Movement in the World Came into Being and Why No One Saw It Coming,” Paul Hawken inspires with a call to environmental attention. As a both writer and entrepreneur dedicated to our world’s ecosystems, Hawken seems to understand the impact we have created on our planet. Despite this, he also appreciates the human capacity to create an equal impact on the other end, and make positive progress. He defines this as the “Movement,” being an assembly of environmentally-minded groups and NGO’s coming together to save the dying ecosystems of the planet. Although Hawken’s optimism should be admired, his outlook seems slightly quixotic.
Also, he says that reconstructing the in order to make them more them energy efficient will provide more jobs and help people out of poverty. We need to help our environment and be more energy efficient to a better environment for our future children and generations. One of Hertsgraad key points is that there is hope despite the obstacles to action. The recurring theme is there is hope if people get involved and believe that climate change is real.
In the book Sustainability, by Christina R. Weisser, the story Let My People Go Surfing by Yvon Chouinard explains the purpose of his company, and how his goal was to save the world, one fleece jacket at a go. Being a climber, surfer, an entrepreneur, an environmentalist and a known philanthropist, he certainly stands out as one of the few business men who attained success based on his own terms of creating a business. Chouinard never set out to become a businessman. He simply wanted to make the world a better place. The material I am covering is evidence that leads up to my point that people should notice when something needs to be done or changed.