Defining Success

When I returned from fishing, my wife asked, “How was it?”

“Great,” I said, “I only fell once, and got up.”

As I age, river stones get slicker, and my balance is not as good. I have many bruises to show for my fish.

Still, I prefer to do it this way than eat farmed/aquaculture fish, or buy salmon with barcodes.

All this started me thinking about my definition of success as a climate activist. Will I be able to help save coral reefs before 99% disappear from Earth? Maybe not. How about Brazilian rainforests? Probably not. Arctic ice? No. Billions of humans and nonhumans from relatively few greedy men? I can only do my part which is to research and report honestly in poems and blog posts.

I was inspired by photographers like James Balog; activists like Roger Hallam, Tim DeChristopher, and Ken Ward/Valve Turners; scientists like Kevin Anderson; astronauts like Piers Sellers; organizers like Bill McKibben; police officers like Rob Cooper, John Curran, and Richard Ecclestone; dancers like those in KT Nelson’s Dead Reckoning; economist Manfred Max-Neef; actuary Sandy Trust; artists Pinar Yoldas, Sean Yoro (HULA), Guy Denning, and Lindsay Carron; and many others who did SOMETHING INSTEAD OF NOTHING. For those new to the fray, what will you do?