Do what you can NOW
Posts from "Do What You Can NOW" series:
Table of contents:
We all want to solve issues/problems for ourselves, for others or for the world. But if the solution depends on doing more than two things, it could mean that we are not even going to start working on them. Let alone solving it. We even use the most difficult action we can take regarding that issue as an excuse to NOT do the simple actions or things we can do right NOW! Even though we acknowledge that the issue is actually an issue, we will not do anything about it. It doesn’t matter why. Irrespective of whether the reason is helplessness, anxiety, ignorance, misunderstanding or the plain old laziness, the reality is that we don’t do the things we can do NOW.
When the issue is personal or private, you alone or a small group alone face the aftermath/consequences for not doing anything. But when the issue is a larger or a public one, everybody suffers because of our inaction. Sins of ommission is something that I learned about recently. Sins of ommission is when you didn’t do the things you could’ve done regarding something.
One thing people forget is that we are all on different stages of our lives. Whether this be with regards to age, professional progress, socio-political knowledge/understanding or something else. You cannot expect a person do the same things you are doing towards the same issue. This is because that person might be in a different stage with regards to life or with regards to that issue. That person might know more than you or lesser than you regarding that issue. So because of that alone (excluding their upbringing, their POV’s and many other factors), the way that person might be looking at the issue will be completely different.
So what do we do then? Do what you can NOW!
Everyone can do something towards the issue/problem/thing they want to do. It might be something microscopic. But you can do it now.
You want to learn programming but don’t know how? Have you done the things that you know you can do NOW? It might be as small as asking your developer friend for advice on how to get started with programming. Or maybe what you can do NOW is just searching online - how to learn programming?. Have you done that? That is one thing you CAN do NOW, but haven’t. Do that first before making excuses to yourself and others on why can’t do anything.
You wanna do something about online privacy? Do what you can NOW. It might be as small as cranking up the available privacy settings to the max for your google account NOW. It might not be the most effective thing you can do. But that is something you can do NOW! Do that before complaining about how incovenient it is route all your traffic through TOR or how hard it is to self host everything. Don’t use the hardest actions you can take towards an issue as an excuse to NOT do the things you can NOW. You definitely CAN crank up the privacy settings NOW for your google account.
Everytime I talk about privacy, my friend tells me I am a tinfoil hat. That am crazy to seek privacy the way I do. Like I mentioned before, he definitely identify it as an issue. Just not the way I do. But again, this all comes back to us being two different individuals with different backgrounds, ideologies and ideas for life. Expecting him to deal with privacy and do the same things I do for privacy is not realistic. And vice-versa as well. Cos our definition for privacy differs significantly. What privacy is for him is NOT what privacy is for me. So what he does is not going to be what I would do towards it.
This fundamental pattern of different people doing different things regarding a problem is important to have. Cos only doing what I do or only doing what my friend does towards online privacy is not going to make things better. You need people from different backgrounds to do way more other things towards it. You need Edward Snowdens of the world. But also people who just decided to crank up the privacy settings for their google account. Every bit signifies a change in tide, and it matters. But if you are one of those folks who says one person cannot make a difference, look at Greta Thunberg. Irrespective of what you think about her and her actions, she started it all alone. You don’t have to agree with her actions or the way she did them. But one person definitely CAN make a difference.
Likewise, you wanna do something towards climate change? Do what you can NOW. It might be as small as stopping the usage of single-use plastic. Or something even more smaller. Don’t try to do what Greta Thunberg is doing. And you don’t have to stop eating beef. Start small. Do something you are able to now. And make incremental changes if you can. And most importantly, don’t use beef as an excuse to NOT do the simple things you can NOW.
In short, do what you can NOW!
Have thoughts or feedback regarding my post/writing? DM me on Twitter @unsungNovelty.