Choose Life On Planet Earth

A trauma victim, survivor, and life coach pleads: don't cave in to the pressures of self-interested citizens or corporations; instead, choose life, take action, and save the world!

In the blink of an eye, my world shattered when my wife was bludgeoned to death by her tormented adult son; and I thought at that time, I could not survive. That's why I was deeply saddened to read heartbreaking stories about young peoples' decisions whether or not to have children because of climate concerns. It seemed to me that choosing not to have kids sounded like a permanent solution to a temporary problem.

For almost a decade, I struggled to survive multiple traumatic events. Turns out, with hard work over time, I was able to survive what I had thought was unsurvivable. And I believe it's not too late to choose to take action in order to save our planet.

Choose Life. What does surviving a personal tragedy have to do with saving the world? Answer: despite how hopeless things may appear, choose life — first ourselves; then our communities; then the world. In the wake of what I presumed to be insurmountable tragedy, I was ready to "call it quits." But today I'm here to say: life is worth it. And you are worth it; your kids are worth it; and our planet is worth it! Remember the wise words of Margaret Mead: "never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."

Pursue Light; Squelch Darkness. Wealth and power can be used to improve oneself, one's community, and the world — or they can corrupt one's soul. Greed can easily breed self-interest, arrogance, immorality, and even crime. And greed has plenty to do with climate change: special interest groups that protect "bottom-line-at-any-cost" interests in corporate America are threatening our world's future, even as scientists have clearly demonstrated that climate change threatens our planet's survival.

Activism. Survival — your survival, my survival, the Earth's survival — is now, or never. The good news is that all is not lost, yet. There is a groundswell of interest in saving our planet, from Greta Thunberg's movement to global organizations and youth-led legal cases. As Barack Obama cautioned, "climate change is no longer some far-off problem; it is happening here, it is happening now." We must become more vigilant and we must act now.

Keeping Hope Alive. Each of us can and must create positive changes in our world through our actions directed towards helping others. And by so doing, we not only improve the world, but we activate what Arianna Huffington calls the self-care miracle drug: giving. As Ruth Wilson reminds us, "caring expands our souls … it's in giving that we receive."

Conclusion. If we choose to save our planet rather than sit by and watch it be destroyed, we must not cave in to the pressures of self-interested citizens or corporations. We must remain vigilant; we must persevere; we must be patient, yet relentless; and remain hopeful. We must be willing to stand up and be counted, and to give of ourselves for the benefit of our present and future selves, neighbors, and the world. Then, and only then, can we save our world. A great deal is at stake; and, I think, we're worth it!