Can Generosity Save The World?
TEDs Chris Anderson thinks so. And yes, people are good.
People are good.
It’s easy to feel like the world is filled with idiots but in reality, people are kind, generous, and beautiful souls.
We care for others, we cry at what’s beautiful, we do unselfish tings. We hold up the door to the next person. We pick up a glove someone dropped and say “Excuse me, I think this is yours!” We turn in the wallet that someone had lost.
We honor the natural world. We go lengths to protect it. We tell tales of beautiful things. We get touched by the smile of a stranger and moved by small acts of love.
We make art to tell stories. We connect across cultures to cultivate freindships and form stronger bonds. We ask questions to learn, speak words to share wisdom, and come together to shape new narratives. We are a people of courage, curiosity, and incredible amounts of strength.
People are good - We are good - and it’s important to remember that in our work for a better tomorrow. A just, regenerative, and sustainable world is possible because we make it so. If we lose faith in humanity, we lose faith in our future, and as I’m sitting here writing this, I begin to remember all the times people have proved to me just how caring and selfless we are.
Small acts of kindness, and the deep meaning they leave behind
It makes me think of when I was eight months pregnant and we were on our way back from a wedding in Vermont, when suddenly, a rush of hunger and nausea kicked in. I needed to eat! So we stopped in a small town, walked into a slam-packed restaurant (the only one in sight), but were told to expect a significant wait.
“We just want to order her some oatmeal,” my husband responded, “we’ll wait!”
We sat down at a table outside and hoped it wouldn’t take hours but didn’t have to wait long. When our server brought me a bowl of steaming oatmeal with blueberries and locally made maple syrup not too long after (I still remember how good it was) she told me how multiple tables had waved her over and said “Make sure that pregnant lady gets her food before us!”
It still brings me tears to think about it. People are good.
It makes me think of the man who reached out his hand to snag the back of my jacket as I misstepped running down the subway stairs, helping me avoid a fall that inevitably would’ve left me tumble.
How he acted so fast, I do not know. People are good.
It makes me think of the man with broken English who extended his embrace in the airplane aisle, an embrace my daughter gladly reached into, and offered to hold her while I went to the bathroom. He let her play with his phone the whole time and she was so happy and comfortable in this stranger’s loving arms.
It provided me a tiny piece of sanity on a long flight. People are good.
It makes me think of the woman who ran down the platform to help me carry the stroller down the stairs. She was also a mother and couldn’t pass up on a mother in need. People are good.
It makes me think of all the passionate and committed souls that continue to show up for this work, with brave, curious, and courageous hearts.
People are good. Thank you for being here!
I’m a climate optimist because I believe in people and I will never lose faith in our ability to get things right. Could kind hearts and generosity save the world? I believe so and the sooner we can get in touch with our inner compass that is guided by community, compassion, and love, the faster we can get where we need to be.
But could generosity actually change the world? Chris Anderson, the head of TED, believes so and he talks about a pledge that could solve all the world’s philanthropic challenges. I highly recommend listening to this podcast
Almost Earth Day!
This Earth Day I’ll be speaking on a panel alongside Alexandra Climent and Ayisha Sid on the topic THE WORDS THAT MATTER MOST. The event is put on by Climate Words and there will be mingle, plantbased goodies, a book swap and of course - the panel - and if you’re in NYC, I hope to see you there!
The Era of Vague Net Zero Pledges is Over
Climate lawyers say the era of vague net zero pledges is over as a new European court ruling has put governments everywhere on notice.
In an April 9 decision, the European Court of Human Rights sided with a group of elderly women from Switzerland who said their government violated their rights by contributing to climate change, which in turn exacerbated heat waves that ended up threatening their health.
The decision is binding and makes clear that all 46 countries that are party to the ECHR — spanning Turkey to Azerbaijan — must ensure they’re taking science-based measures to mitigate the current and future fallout of climate change.
Help End the Age of Plastics: Global Plastics Treaty Now!
The negotiations for the Global Plastics Treaty started November 2022, with the goal of completing the process by the end of 2024. The future treaty has a huge potential to put the world on a path towards a plastic-free future but it will be up to us to make sure that it delivers on its promises.
Make your voice heard: