Some of us came here because we wanted the world to be better for our children.
Some of us came here because we started paying attention to dire global warming warnings.
Some of us came here by an inherited social conscience, because our parents wanted to give their children a better world.
But most likely, none of us came here by force.
This is the problem with some of the "greenies" out there: they shame us. They're the throw-green-paint-on-those-of-you-who-don't-do-"enough" sort of people. They shake their fingers, dirt under the nails, and shout, "Bad, bad, bad!"
But being shrill or condescending is a poor stimulant for change. Being uppity doesn't make anyone want to be like you. And turning into a yappy greenevangelist is hardly going to win friends. (Sure it's a real word. I just wrote it, didn't I?!)
This is a lesson that I need to remember, too. Recently, I was getting heated and passionate in a discussion about consumerism with my mom. Really, I simply needed to vent and she's sensible and soft-spoken (she remembers giving birth to me--at home--so No, I was not switched at birth, thank you for asking!) so she was a good person to turn to.
She listened thoughtfully, and then at the end of the discussion, she told me a story.
One day, during one of her first years as an early childhood social worker, her task was to help families register for school. One mom, who had 4 children, said she couldn't afford the $20 fee per child to register them. My mom said they should help the family figure out a way to get those kids into school, whether they could afford it or not.
Later, a couple of upper middle-class coworkers were snotty about the situation. "If she can't afford to register those kids she should have thought about it before she had babies! Why should the school lose money because of them?!" (I previously described them as "upper middle-class", but clearly they were "no class".) My mom was infuriated, knowing that school registration was probably not on this woman's mind when she started a family. And who's to say that the family's financial situation hadn't changed over time?
My mom had a passionate discussion about the pair's ignorance with one of her work friends. And, like my mother with me, the woman listened patiently. When my mom finished venting, her friend said,
I, too, realize that I am intolerant. I have no tolerance for intolerant people.
I think that we could all benefit from remembering her words. Because while we might frown at all the Hummers we see on the road, we don't know anyone else's story or just how far they've come. Perhaps that's the only vehicle that fits that person's electric wheelchair.
But yes, go ahead and feel free to scowl or otherwise gesture the Hummer with the license plate "GLBLWRMR". There are some people who seem beyond help.
But maybe they're not. Maybe the friend who drives a gas-guzzler simply needs an incentive to go smaller, like the "Cash for Clunkers" Program. Or even a friend who will help them find a vehicle that will fit their 5-person family while upping their MPG.
Or maybe that neighbor who drives you mad with pesticide use (Hello?! I'm downwind, here, and my children are breathing this air!) needs better education. Like from a neighbor that'll hold a meeting showing other options or even host a "Weeding Party".
What I'm saying is that looking down our noses at others is a total turn-off. And green livin' needs all the help it can get!
I've taken baby steps to get where I am today: eating food from our garden, cloth diapering, raising chickens, and green cleaning. I still have a long way to go to get where I'd like our family to be.
I'm sure that you've also taken baby steps in your quest to be a bit greener.
Why should we expect more from others than we do ourselves?
Other light reading:
Green Living Tips on greening your family.
A guest post on The Good Human on "How To Be A Good Human".
Image: some of rebecca's photos on Flickr under a Creative Commons License.
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