Making a difference

We all want to "make a difference".  The truth is, whether we want to or not, we do make a difference.  It's just a question of what kind of difference are we making.

Every purchase we make makes a difference.  Every dollar we spend is a vote for what we want to exist in the world.  By choosing to buy something, we're voting to keep that thing available for sale and to have more of it produced in the future.  By choosing not to buy something, we're doing the opposite.

Just in terms of food, we can choose to eat local foods, local organic foods, organic foods, foods that we grow ourselves or just the cheapest thing on the shelf.  Each one of these is a choice and each of these choices make a difference.  It makes a difference in terms of what foods will continue to be produced, which methods of production will be more profitable, which will be less, and thereby what we'll likely have more of in the future and what we'll likely have less of. 

Each one of these methods of production has an impact on the world.  They use different amounts of fossil fuels in the production and transportation of the food.  They use different amounts of pesticides and fertilizers.  And all of that makes a difference.  

Even without spending money, we make a difference by the things we say and do.  We can encourage people and give them fuel for their endeavours or we can ignore them.  We can be extraordinarily kind or generous or industrious and inspire others to do the same.  Or, we can do the bare minimum and perpetuate a culture where that becomes as the norm.

We all make a difference.  It's just a matter of what kind of difference we're making.

(I'd like to credit Jeff Short for the ideas about different foods and how they make a difference.  This was the topic of his speech at Toastmaster's last week)