Heroes Not Zombies

Just by being alive we affect those around us.

When I woke up the other day and saw the frost on the grass, and how, under the mulberry tree, in addition to it dropping an attractive circle of yellow leaves, the grass was unfrosted. I don’t know if that is because the leaves on the branches create an invisible zone of warmer air preventing the frost from forming, or whether its warmth from the activity of the roots under the soil, but it’s striking isn’t it?

It made me think how just by living we affect the world we live in. What we breathe in, what we breathe out, what we eat, what we excrete, and all the actions we take.

I reckon even our thoughts start to ripple out into the universe. Our thoughts affect our the metabolism of our bodies, our immune and inflammatory systems (our defences), what we say to others, and our actions. In all these ways the environment around us changes. Maybe just a little, maybe quite a lot.

None of us live in a vacuum or a bubble. The world is different today because you are living in it. Guess it’s worth taking some time to reflect and wonder what kind of ripples we are sending out, what shadows we cast.

The COP21 conference in Paris comes up next week. A good time to consider how our choices and our lifestyles affect the rest of the world…..