Dystopia and Beyond

The day came that we all were waiting for . Well, actually, that we all were hoping would never come. Really, we thought, there has to be some way to find a better life, for our children and for the children coming in the future. But some of the humans were lazy, or greedy or they just simply did not know how they could make a difference, in the unfolding consequences of our lack of intuition, and our inability to prevent the collapse of planet earth as we knew it.

This is were Sarah stepped in. She woke up one morning, it was an early Monday morning and she was lait for work. As a newspaper journalist, she absolutely loved her job. Despite having a good job that she enjoyed, and a beautiful family, she too, amongst so many others, had been plagued with health issues for years. Every morning she woke up in a frightening way, just as she had for so long, coughing, hacking, and feeling sick from the poor air quality.

It’s year 2090, and the humans had virtualy destroyed the soils from poor farming practices that we were told, were nessasary to feed the people of the earth. From the over forestations, that we people did collectively by taking more then we gave back. The waters were running dry in many places, and were polluted almost beyond repair. That’s where the word almost jumped out at Sarah. “There’s got to be something more we can do, this is too much to bear“ she thought as she quickly made her morning coffee to go.

Even though she felt out of place a lot of the time, Sarah was an environmentalist, and an advocate for the earth. She new she would go to any length just to help the earth, the people, the animals, but most of all, her family, especially her two kids, Jane, and Sam.

Sarah was contemplating what article she would write next as she was driving to work, obeying the speed limits despite the rush she was in. After long nights of writing articles, and doing research on her own time, on how to heal the environment, she had been late too many times, so much so that she Was at risk of loosing her job.

But that would soon change as she begain to soon create a movement that would sweep across the earth and little by little, help heal the broken planet that was in desperate need of love and nurturing.

As she drove to work, she passed her Favorite thrift store, the same one that she passed every working day for years. The same one that she volunteers at once a month, and donates all her extra clutter when she goes through her things yearly. The same thrift shop that she shops at first, before looking any where else for what she needs at that time.

Although, this day was different. As she slowed down to drive past it, and glanced in the display window, she noticed a beautiful, shiny hart shaped lock it necklace. It was stunning she thought to herself. Then almost an instant later, she remembered were she saw it before. She immediately pulled over, parked her car, and slowly, yet with great excitement, she walked into the store.

“Well, would you look at that“ Sarah said to Barb, her coworker and friend. She gently took the necklace off the manican, and looked at the back. Sure enough, there it was. She read the engraved necklace, that said Julie + Jim = Love

”Barb, this necklace belonged to my Grandmother years ago. It got lost in the move we had a couple years back.“ Sarah begain to cry, she was so happy and grateful to find this necklace, and for her fond memories of her late, Grandmother, Julie, and Granfather Jim.

Sarah bought the necklace for herself, well actually, she had planned to pass it on to her daughter for her birthday which was coming up soon. She knew her daughter would love this, a beautiful family heirloom from her great grandmother.

Sarah, like the rest of us, had been living in fear for a long time. Fear, not hopelessness. See there’s a difference. As long as someone has hope, and that tiny bit of hope is in something real, something tangible, something believable even though all odds may seem against it, then we can transform that hope into action, and from action, comes a reactions and change.

Sarah begain to cry in her car, tears of melancholy, tears of regret that she never could help stand up for what she believed in enough, to make the change that she so very wanted to happen. She felt guilty about the water, the forests, the air pollution. There was famines sweeping across the worled, even in places like her home town in Canada, which once was filled with abundant farms, clean water, and fresh air. Now farmers were lucky if they got enough rain, to make it through the season. The towns water treatment centres couldnot keep up with the water, not enough to provide for the needs of the people. People were getting sick, real sick and modern medicines, nor traditional medicines were enough to heal All of the sick People or to at least Make for a good quality Of life for most people. Not like it used to be. People were sick, they were tired and they felt helpless, small, insignificant.

Sarah looks At the leart shaped locket she Had in her hands, and she remembered one of the last things her Grandmother had told to her. “I believe in you, and that in your heart, you hold all the answers that you are looking for. All you have to do, is believe in yourself and have the courage to follow your hearts dreams.”

Sarah then had an idea. She realized that maybe instead of fighting against what she didn’t;t want, the pollution, the sickness, the lack of clean running water, and so on, she could start celebrating what we do have left and focus on the solutions.

She drove to work and showed up late, but was more enthusiastic Then ever. WHen her boss asked, “what’s with that grin on your face?” Sarah responded, I think I know what to do. FOr years, we have been fightnight against what we don’t want. That’s great and it often does help t get people together and rally for what we believe in, no matter what it costs. People have been protesting for years, begging the government to do something. But what if it’s not up to only the government. I’m going to throw a rally, but t wont be an anti environmental destruction rally, it will be a pro I take care of the environment, type of rally. People can make signs about what they are doing. Like “I recycle”, ”I compost” ” I grow my own food” “I take the bus to “ Or whatever they believe in.

Sarah had been doing all the things she dealt she could to help the environment Like buying paper that was add from recycled materials, refilling her shampoo bottles and other containers at a local bulk store. She. Bought oraganic here and there when she could afford it, and got and got all her fruit from the farmers market. She was doing everything she could to heal the land, to bring us people back towars having a sustainable relationship with the land.

That day Sarah put out an article in the newspaper, inviting everyone in the city to join her, on a pro environmental rally. Little did she know that actually, this is what the world needed, an that it would be a new tipping point for society soon after, a tipping point in the change toward sustainability.

The rallies started small, and then gained momentum. Pretty soon the pro-environmental rallies were happening around the world, spreading like a good kind of wild fire. People started to realize that they could make a difference. Slowly people started to change, but not too slow, actually it seemed like perfect timing.

Each person jumpe on the green bandwagon, and rode all the way home. “Really the Changes we need to make, are so simple, and so close to home. When we each do our part, and share the momentum with others, together wE can healt this issue we have had for so long, in such little time, And it’s truly a miracle” The crowd clapped, as many happy faces joined together and truly saw eachother for the earth stewards they are, and had longed to be. People banned together, and every one was talking about the green movement.

People started giving there extra money to help organization plant trees, provide clean drinking water to be in need, and so many more great organizations begain tospeak up for what they do, and the people were more then happy to help if they could. Hungry people begain to have access to the food they needed so badly. People volunteered there time to restore the lands that were once destroyed by conventional farms. They planted flowers to bring back the bees, they traded in pesticide, for the hard working hands of farmers, more then willing to pick the weeds by ha d.

The whole agricultural system changed. Farmers learned regenerative practices, so that when they grew the food, they did it in the way that would insure the land would still be useful in all the time yet to come.

Now when this happened, Sarah looked back on how it all started, with her family, her friends, loving and upporting her, and teaching her to believe in her dreams. The movement didn’t solve all the problem on the whole plaet, but it did help people move in the right direction. Sarah wmdered, is we could do this, this one big goal, of creating sustainability, what else could we do. COuld we come together, lay down our difference and have a truly happy ending, well that;s a beautiful thought, and I guess w will see. For now, lets be grateful for the changes we’ve made, and continue in the right direction, what mor could we do. WHat more could we be.