This may well raise some contention, but I’d like to clarify that I’m by no means suggesting there isn’t a soul out there who cares about the planet and humanity – there are plenty of movements and individuals across the globe fighting tirelessly to save both.
What I am saying is that we, as consumers, simply aren’t doing enough.
Allow me to explain.
Remember those reasons? From phone addiction and compassion fatigue to capitalism and influencer culture, we’re relentlessly bombarded with cause for disengaging.
In the middle of all of that, when we do, finally manage to muster some energy so we can involve ourselves with working towards bolstering effective change, the effort only usually lasts as long as the discourse does on social media.
When the urge to stand in solidarity swells, it’s all too often fleeting – as fleeting as the trends that come and go on the apps we can’t stop using.
So, while we aren’t exclusively to blame for our increasing detachment, we are responsible for what we do when the message does get through: treating crises as fads that don’t demand consistent attention.
Obviously, we aren’t collectively ignoring the fact that pervasive environmental and humanitarian crises exist and are getting far worse, but in viewing them as issues entirely out of our control, we’re stagnant, we’re making excuses, and we’re waiting for the 1% to step up and do what’s right (spoiler alert: they won’t).
I get it, going above and beyond to live consciously when the wealthy and powerful are sucking the Earth and its inhabitants dry isn’t fair.
But is it fair to continue buying from fast fashion because you’re buying into each and every microtrend du jour?
Is it fair to suddenly jump from a vegan diet to a carnivore one because your algorithm’s been showing you viral ‘what I eat in a day’ videos that tout the ‘undeniable benefits’ of consuming animal products alone?
Is it fair to openly boycott brands when netizens are calling for it but then forgetting you did so and resuming your funding of them?
We just need to start small and by small, I mean maintaining momentum when humanity and the planet’s suffering hits a nerve.
Momentum with sufficient strength to help us recognise that following the trend cycle (which collapsed half a decade ago btw) and doing everything that social media tells us to is genuinely not it.
Sorry to be a downer right after Christmas, but with next year on the immediate horizon, let’s leave complacency in 2024.
It’s a great deal more personal mindfulness and non-performative activism I wanna see trending in 2025.
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Until next time,
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