We are the ones we've been waiting for

You must be the change you wish to see in the world

-Gandhi

  

Well, it's true. This isn't some do-gooder bullshit. This isn't some "believe in yourself and you can achieve anything" sentiment that we might tell to disillusioned children. He's not asking us to cure cancer or relocate to some nation torn apart by civil war in order to help with peacekeeping efforts. 

What he is saying is very simple - it is absurd to believe one thing and do the opposite. How many people have you heard state that it's awful that animals are killed for their fur, and then wear leather? How many people have you heard say that it's a shame that the rainforests are being chopped down, only to take a bite out of a [insert name of fast food chain here] beefburger? How many people have your heard cry out about the immorality of testing cosmetics on animals, only to buy make-up without checking the testing record of the company? Or perhaps you've heard someone bemoan the use of fossil fuels, due to their social and environmental impact, while they make little or no effort to move onto sustainable and environmentaly stable fuel sources in their own life?

Our everyday choices matter, and not just to us. Our choices are not just about personal taste, quality of life or convinience. They have wide ranging impacts beyond our lives and our homes, and say a lot about our beliefs. If you think the tar sands pollution is shocking, or think that pumping industrial waste into water sources is inethical, or want to see our seas brimming with life, then start making the consumer choices that back-up those beliefs. Stop waiting around for someone to make the decison for you, by banning or outlawing whatever practice you object to so that you don't have to conciously make the decison to give up something you enjoy or find useful. Stop waiting for other people, and start making meaningful decisions. Put your money where your mouth is because that is the only vote that these companies acknowledge.