Fireworks

When it comes to fireworks, I'm just not a fan. This year, for the first time since forever I gave into my son's curiousity and pleading and took him to see a big fireworks display. I was telling my friends I had to give up my own personal beliefs to do nice things for my son. They said - but why and I answered that if all the money from fireworks was gathered it could end world hunger. Even in this dinky little town, in a rural area spent $30K on their fireworks display. That's alot of money.

One of my friends said there were plenty of other things that bothered her more and I agree that there are plenty of things that bother me more too, but when I got to thinking about that, i realized that my refusal to participate in fireworks displays in anyway, is my own little managable protest.

It's like napkins. I heard once that if every American used just one less paper napkin per day, that millions of trees would be saved each year. Sure there are larger things that could happen - factories could stop chugging out nasty chemicalness. There are a ton of things like that - but what *I* can do, me, personally, is that I can stop using most paper goods.

The thing is - if we let the vast task we have before us blind us to the steps we have to take to change it, we will never take any steps. If I only wonder and grumble about all the bigger things tha can be done, it shields from my eyes the little things, and no matter what, little things add up to big things in the end. If millions of people do little things, it makes a big splash.

So if I refuse to participate in fireworks, it doens't change a whole lot, I know. The fireworks will still go on, but I have done a little thing by not buying any, and not buying into the scene. Maybe there are other people like me, it sure sounds like it when I hear people talk, and maybe all of us not buying any firecrackers and not buying into the scene DOES make a little difference.

That's enough for me for today. And each day I do SOMETHING, I am doing ANYTHING, I am contributing my mite. This is a powerful place and so different from the huge, grand "everything that needs to be done" that leaves me powerless and helpless to do anything.

One thing.

© 2009 Darshan F Jessop