The People United, Will Never be Defeated!

Thirty years ago I marched with "People for Nuclear Disarmament".  There are still nuclear weapons in the world, but at least most people believe it's wrong.  Does that make it better?

As I marched through the city streets, shoppers and businessmen would stop and watch, bemused by the disturbance.  In all my life I have never since found anything I have believed more than the soul of thirty thousand people chanting - "The People, united, will never be defeated!"

And that's what it will take to save the world.  We can't just sit around and wait for governments to "fix" things.

In times of war, people have accepted sacrifice - rationing and community endeavour have been necessary, and the experience has tended to be one that strengthens those who experience it.

Every-one has to do what they can.  Do you really need a new phone/TV/car/dress?  (Ooh! That hurts!  I love my collection of skarves.)  We must reduce, reuse, recycle.  Conserve water.  Stop building such wasteful large houses.  "Live simply, that others may simply live."

"But no!" I hear you cry.  "Economic downturn!" 

Yes.  Sorry.  Did you miss the bit about sacrifice?  The greedy bastards in charge of the companies will probably be okay, but the workers may suffer.  It's wrong.  But then there are a lot of things in the world that are wrong.

Destroying the environment that gives us life is wrong too.  But the greedy bastards who have industrialized our world to line their own pockets aren't going to stop because we ask them nicely.

The really sad thing is that there is enough to go around, provided we're all prepared to live modestly.  Last I heard 10% of the population had 90% of the resources.  And of that 10%, the top 10% controlled most of the wealth.

For goodness sake!  How many private jets do you need?

So since no-one else is going to do it, you have to.  Yes . . . you!

Think about it.  I know you can find a way to use less.  To take better care of your environment and the people around you.

I'm depending on you. 

And when we all work together . . .

The People, united, will never be defeated.

I want to survive!

I want the world to survive, don't you?  But sometimes, when I look around, I get scared.  Governments that should act are stalling, more worried about the next election than they are about the future.

But what can we do?  I have always believed that "the people united, will never be defeated", and this is my way of sending my hopes for the future out into the world. 

Perhaps I can help create change . . .  but then pessimism sets in.  How can one person tapping at a keyboard make a difference?