Saturday, August 2, 2014

Ordinary


ORDINARY
by Antonio C. Antonio
July 30, 2014

In the past few weeks, I have been receiving Personal Messages from Facebook friends and blog readers.  Here are some of the commentaries/questions that I am re-printing in this article.  There are other comments but most revolve around these four questions.  I thought it best not to mention the names of the comment senders anymore so we don’t get into any trouble in case they prefer to remain anonymous.  Hereunder are the comments and my responses:

Comment No. 1:  “Dear Sir Anton: Congratulations to you and your advocacy.  My wife and I believe in your fight to protect the environment. But we are simple working people who hardly have time to contribute to your crusade. What are the other ways we can help?” 

Our pro-environment advocacy could be integrated in our daily activities and we need not appropriate extra time for it.  It just has to be a continuous and conscious effort. For example:  We could constantly remind our family members to put their candy wrappers in their pockets until they find a trash bin. I’ve written a blog (“The Ripple Principle”) published at http://antonantonio.blogspot.com/ about a simple methodology to promote pro-environmental advocacies on a very personal and individual level.  You may want to read this. Thank you for your continued interest in my posts, blogs and articles.

Comment No. 2:  “Anton, how do we organize to have environment friendly projects when a lot of people do not want to get involved?” 

It’s sad when people give less attention and concern to environment-related issues.  Organizing collective action will really be very tough given this condition.  But environment advocacies may not always start this way.  I believe we do not need to be organized to show we care. We can always do this individually or on a personal capacity basis.  Planting trees in a group will spell more fun but we can plant a tree or two alone.  What is more important is getting things done.  I have written a blog (“The Ripple Principle”) published at http://antonantonio.blogspot.com/ about a simple methodology to promote pro-environmental advocacies on a very personal and individual level.  You may want to read this.  Lastly, I firmly believe that people will eventually gravitate around a cause (or advocacy) they believe in.  It may not be today, tomorrow, next week, next month, next year or even in the next decade… but eventually.  Thank you for your continued interest in my posts, blogs and articles.

Comment No. 3:  “Mr. Antonio, Reading your blogs only made me realize how little I know about the environment.  How would reading all the information you write help protect the environment?”  

I’m glad my blogs have somewhat helped in increasing your knowledge about the environment.  The primary purpose of our Facebook Page “Pro EARTH Crusaders” is “to promote pro-environment posts aimed at engaging other netizens towards individual and collective action to protect Mother Earth” while my blogsite http://antonantonio.blogspot.com/ “intends to provide thought-provoking perspectives to increase the level of awareness on environmental issues and concerns aimed at inspiring individual and/or collective action towards protecting Mother Earth”.  The underlying message in these social media outlets is “engaging and inspiring people towards individual/collective action to protect Mother Earth”.  Before, I also felt that the “me-writing-and-people-reading” strategy will not work.  But later on I was able to network with productive thinkers (to name a few: Bert Martinez; Jose Lorenzo Castillo; Nanding Carlos Villanueva; Tino Martinez; and, Vicky Martires) who pushed my little thoughts to the next level and raised the bar on intellectual public discourse.  More are beginning to join our on-line discussions about the environment.  The information I write may pale in comparison to what we really should know about the environment… but with more people getting involved, the knowledge being spread widens and grows.  And with people now having an increased level of knowledge and awareness on environmental matters, this will definitely help in institutionalizing workable measures to help protect the environment.  Thank you for your continued interest in my blogs and articles.  Please join in the discussion too.

Comment No. 4:  “Hi Anton, I am just wondering if you actually make money with your advocacy. People do things for a reason.  I’m sure you have yours.” 

Thank you so much for the comment/question.  Sometimes I also wonder if there is money to be made in pursuing an advocacy… a relatively unpopular one for that matter.  Please allow me to say that there is more than money in a pro-environment advocacy such as an improved quality of life for the present and future generation.  This is an intangible benefit that cannot be measured in pesos and centavos.  Allow me also to say that (to me) there are other more important concerns than money… such as: (1) I am grateful to have been blessed by God with a little knowledge which I now want to unselfishly share; and, (2) I want to influence young minds on what I think are ideal for they are the direct beneficiaries of the future.  You and I may no longer be here to enjoy the rewards of a healthy planet, but your children and grandchildren and mine will.  Thank you so much for your continued interest in my blog and articles.

I should say that I have no illusions of grandeur and, more often, I have a tendency not to think beyond “just my little thoughts” and truths.  But we need not look at a pro-environment advocacy as a complex undertaking.  It could also be an ordinary day-to-day conscious effort like the simple act of picking up a candy wrapper… something most of us will consider ordinary.

Just my little thoughts…

(Please visit, like and share Pro EARTH Crusaders and Landscape Ecology UPOU on Facebook or follow me at http://antonantonio.blogspot.com/ )


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