A Man Does His Part to Protect the Earth

I believe in doing my part to do what I can to not add to the scary climate changes we have been experiencing lately. Since having strange weather whatever time of year is a common topic for small talk, we have been slow to become alarmed. But nowadays the talk has expanded. Conversation can polarize around those that argue that strange weather is getting stranger and those that assert that it is normal fluctuation. Others are comforted by knowing that whatever weather related hardship they are going through, people somewhere else are having a a weather situation that is worse.

I am not a denier. I have purchased reusable shopping bags that I keep in my car for when I need to go grocery shopping. My favorite bag has a bar code that can be scanned at check out to record that the corporation that owns the store pledges to donate some money to good causes in my community overtime I use the bag. It says this right on the bag. It also says, “What goes around comes back around.” It says it twice, with the letters forming a circle. In the middle of the circle it reads, “ create a little good karma.”

I feel good about having this convenient method for supporting good works and I can always use some good karma. I hope that by using this bag, something lucky might occur, liking finding a twenty dollar bill on the floor by the frozen food case. I can picture myself feeling lucky and then suddenly remembering that this would be more than just good luck.

It would be feel good karma for me, if my reusable bag use brought some some bad karma the way of polluters. I have grown weary of reassuring myself that all of those lines behind planes in the sky are ice crystals. These trails are just getting longer and wider and are now coming in shades other than white, such as black. Whatever stuff they are spraying, for whatever reason, I hope that my reusable bag use will get one of these planes to stop it. Seems to me there is enough stuff in the atmosphere that shouldn’t be there already. Maybe these chemicals are meant to fix what we broke. Even if that is true, I think having planes write “People of the Earth Repent,” would be more appropriate.

I know that I have little chance of getting any karmic benefit, if I keep forgetting to bring the bag into the store. My favorite supermarket even has signs in the parking lot to remind me to bring it. These signs haven’t worked yet. The last three times I have gone shopping, I have failed to remember the bag. I still don’t know the correct answer to the question, “paper or plastic?. The store I go to, you get plastic if you don’t ask for paper. I repurpose plastic bags by putting my sweaty gym clothes in them. That doesn’t rate much karma, but I’m not about to lose my place in line to walk all the way out to my car, to get the bag particularly if it is hot, cold, windy or rainy outside.

◊♦◊

I probably would comply if the cashier stated that they would not be complicit in my disrespect for the natural environment by putting my groceries in a plastic bag with their own hand. It probably would be helpful if an acquaintance or even a stranger called me out on my irresponsible attitude when it comes to helping good causes in my community, but I don’t think this is likely.

I may vow to never forget my bag again and to call out everyone I see in the store who is not doing the right thing, but does this make sense? If everybody with the ability to buy their food in an air conditioned store never took a plastic bag ever again, how much good karma would this generate? How much good would this actually do?

It is just plain common sense to conclude that we who do a little something to protect the planet which is our home, do so just to not feel so guilty about the horrible harm each and everyone one of us does to it everyday. 

“Doing something is better than doing nothing,” you might say, but do you really believe that? How do you know that whatever you do, big or little, as a human being, does not make things worse? The human arrogance that we can fix what we have broken is the same arrogance that had us believe that we could improve upon Nature, that caused the damage to begin with.

It is clearly too late to believe that we can learn from our mistakes.

Okay we can hope to leave this dump and relocate. We can hope to get some help from intelligences greater than are own, but be careful what you hope for when demons pretending to be aliens arrive in full force claiming to be here to save us.

I do believe that karma is coming though and that it is coming soon. I do believe that the Greatest Intelligence has this covered.

Best I focus on praying to Jesus Christ in gratitude for the way the Earth once was and that His Will be done to address what it has become. That includes so much more than problems with the weather. Then I can ask for His guidance as to how I can make proper use of my nifty bag.

—

This post is republished on Medium.

***

You Might Also Like These From The Good Men Project

Compliments Men Want to Hear More Often

Relationships Aren’t Easy, But They’re Worth It

The One Thing Men Want More Than Sex

..A Man’s Kiss Tells You Everything

—

Photo credit: iStock