Keeping hope alive.... we can make a difference

It can often feel we have more things to be concerned about than energy to invest in addressing our concerns. The cost-of-living crisis, life after lockdown, the changing face of our high streets, feelings of isolation and disconnectedness, people being less civil to each other, wars and natural disasters worldwide and………. Climate change! It is any wonder at times, we feel overwhelmed.

If you ever feel overwhelmed and think of suicide, please talk to someone; you matter. The Samaritans are there 24/7, 365. You may also find this wee post helpful, which has some other contact numbers, a video, and tips to help keep hope alive.

It is natural to be concerned about climate change. It is also natural to wonder, with such a huge challenge, is anything I do going to make a difference. The answer is yes; every action we take to be kinder to the planet counts. We cannot fix it all. We are only one person, group, community, city, country, or nation, but it adds up to a lot if we all do a wee bit. This wee video offers some ideas.

Getting together, discussing solutions, and taking actions that are within our control, no matter how small can help us feel less overwhelmed. COPEScotland created the Jigsaw Lid Toolkit © to gather different views and ideas on the pieces needed to bring about change. We also made a lid around climate action without despair. Above is an example of a lid created at an event with GCVS, other groups, and the community. We have included an editable PDF with details on how to create your own jigsaw lid.

We were also delighted to be a part of 'Our People, Our Planet' and created a special lid for the occasion, which can also be downloaded below.

There are many conversations happening in many places around the actions we can take to help build that kinder, fairer world for all and the planet. We all only have so much energy to use; let's invest it wisely where we can make a difference.

My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world.

by Jack Layton