Tonga Diaries - The Power of the People ✊🏽

People have said to me:

"It's governments and large companies that need to change for it to make any difference, they're the ones who have the most power and the biggest impact. You putting one thing in the recycling bin makes No. Difference. At all."

 

But I disagree.

Very strongly.

 

Yes, the governments and large companies do need to step up and do more for the environment but they are not the only ones who have power.

And we, the people, are not powerless.

 

In Tonga I witnessed...

 

The citizens who have so much pride in the natural beauty of their islands...they have power.

The local environmental groups leading the charge and working together to protect nature...they have power.

 

The corrupt politician who created an illegal landfill site which polluted an island's ground water supply, causing generational damage...he had power.

The people who continue to pile rubbish onto it...they have power.

 

The influential church leaders who rally their communities for local area clean up competitions...they have power.

The children who join the beach cleans investing in their and their island's future...they have power.

 

The inventor who is creating products locally out of cassava grown on the island...she has power.

The artists and craftspeople bringing the traditional, natural and sustainable arts and crafts into the modern age...they have power.

 

The people who opt for the traditional, biodegradable banana leaf to wrap and cook their Lu in for Sunday lunch...they have power.

The people who throw their plastic food containers and wrappers on the beach after a picnic...they have power.

 

 

So when I put my one thing in the correct recycling bin so it enters the waste management infrastructure through the correct channel and doesn't spill out into the environment, I have power.

And you, you have power too.

 

And as Uncle Ben famously said to Spiderman "with great power comes great responsibility."

Now, I don't mean that in a you-must-carry-the-weight-of-the-world kind of way. 

 

No, that's too much.

And you're not Spiderman.

 

What I mean is that I believe each decision we make in our daily lives, big or small, casts a vote for the world we want to live in.

And it's not about perfection and getting it right every time.

It's about small steps and progress in the right direction.

Gently, slowly shaping the world.

 

And when we all work together in the same direction, we channel our immense collective power.

Then it becomes a revolution.

And revolutions are not led by governments or large companies,

Revolutions are led by the people.

 

Vive la révolution! ✊🏽

 

 

Tonga Diaries concludes next week.

 

A huge thank you to all of my sponsors:

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for your generosity in helping fund my place on the eXXpedition, I am so grateful <3