Optimism as a radical act
Imagine deciding to live without creating any environmental impact for a year: no trash, no carbon emissions via car or bus, no toxins in the water, no elevators, no subway, no products in packaging, no plastics, no air conditioning, no TV, no flush toilets. This is what “No Impact Man” Colin Beavan, his wife, and daughter pursued last year in New York City and filmed as a documentary. Radical? Yes.
But what does Colin believe is THE most radical political act? To be an optimist.
What?! Optimism seems so Pollyanna, so excessively bright and cheerful on the surface. How can it be a radical, let alone a political, act?
I personally love the word radical because it means “getting to the root.” And I believe that once we get to the core of our true selves, we can find optimism. When we get there, we can carry what is nourishing up from the roots into our daily lives, allowing new shiny green leaves of creative ideas to shine through.
This, to me, is how optimism is political. Whether or not you choose to be involved in politics, bringing forth what gives life to ourselves, others, and the planet will naturally create shifts. As more people get in touch with their light, the worldviews that underlie policies will change, and therefore the policies that govern our world will begin honoring all people, all needs, all of life.
Colin goes on to explain that it is radical “to believe that if I change, other people will follow suit.” From my perspective, the purpose for personal growth and change is about living what we know affirms life rather than about thinking others will follow us. But if we live in a genuine way, perhaps others might see us as an example. Really, it is Gandhi’s adage: “Be the change you want to see in the world.” But the choice to BE the change is not about wanting to change others. Gandhi doesn’t say “be the change so that the world will change.” Instead, I believe he recognizes that change is about each of us individually embodying the principles we’d ideally see “out there,” whether that is in our family, community, or the political arena. Shifts happen when each person takes responsibility for her or himself to make the necessary internal changes, because the world is a reflection of each of us.
Being optimistic means knowing that the best is here, now. In tough times and amidst suffering, this is particularly radical. Underneath it all, there is the potential for collective awareness rooted solidly in love. Once we acknowledge and foster this, I am certain we will see the world change before our very eyes.
[You can check out Colin’s No Impact Project, and join with others who are choosing to lower their environmental impact in positive ways].
A potential for collective awareness rooted solidly in love….YES.
Count me in!
What a great site. May it touch the lives of millions….