If you fail to plan, you plan to eat ice cream and watch Netflix
Or, put the Global Climate Strike in your calendar?
For a long time I’ve just assumed that I would never be able to participate in civil acts of disobedience because I don’t have the time. I don’t have time is my party line, and because I love rigorous adherence to my own tropes, I’d never thought to question it. Until yesterday.
I have time. I have time to do all the things I deem “essential,” like making unattractive cakes, and looking at pictures of unattractive cakes, and taking my children to various activities they will likely never medal in. Yes, I exhaust my vacation days and then some, but if I actually care about something (like the existential threat of climate crisis), shouldn’t I build that concern into how I allocate the time I clearly do have?
In order to treat this allocation of time with the same seriousness I would a vacation, I booked the day off for the global climate strike. I turned my Facebook ‘interested’ to a highly committal ‘going,’ which lets you know I am not here to play. I am suddenly full of frenetic bliss at the thought of willfully allocating time to trying my hand at this peaceful civil disobedience thing.
But just moments after my initial revelation that I could give of my own time, I had a second revelation, prompted in no small part by the Objectivismy sounding Australian tech company known as Atlassian. They’ve joined a laudatory effort to encourage employees to attend the Global Climate Strike. It’s called Not Business as Usual, and 20+ Australian companies have signed up. Here in Toronto, generous bosses cheerfully let their employees skip away to the Raptors victory parade. Why not the same top-down support for those wanting to stave off apocalypse? I’ve asked my boss if we can allow all interested employees to go. I’ve asked my boss if we can spearhead a similar Canadian initiative. I’ll keep you posted.
THIS WEEK
Will you ask to take Friday, September 20th or 27th off wherever you are? Will you carve out calendar time for action? LMK!
LAST WEEK
I got so many interesting art recommendations, ideas, poems, bits of brilliance. I will stop baking ugly cakes so that I have the time to compile them for next week! Thank you to everyone.
READING
Such a good little piece on reframing, and how Presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren is a master of rephrasing the ask when she gets a divisive, baiting question thrown at her.
And while I’m Warrening, Jay Inslee DIDpave the climate path, so his campaign was certainly not for naught.
Have a great week!