Warning: this post will be a bit more philosophical than others. Is is going to be an honest post about my insecurities as I navigate life, a DEP application and figuring out a business plan but yet maintaining a sunshiny demeanor. (Demeanor has been less sunshiny of late, however.)
As I look around at where we have come as a society, I feel that the progression of technology has given us a life of convenience that lacks purpose. It seems that everything is instant but little of it holds importance, and we base merit on speed rather than quality. It is why we value the plastic "disposable" spoon that will last on this earth long after our great great great grandchildren are gone. The convenient act of throwing a plastic spoon away [spoiler alert: there is no "away"] is deemed more valuable than taking the time to wash a metal one and keeping it for reuse. What have we become?
We find micro-plastics in the tiniest creatures of the ocean now. Weather patterns have changed dramatically. By 2050, there will be 9.7 billion people on the planet to feed. [That escalated quickly, right?] As one person, we hold little power to this, but as a unified whole, we can change it.
And yet: I feel this urgent anxiety about creating a solution to the food waste problem that we have. I've decided that I need to figure this out single-handedly and everything has to be executed flawlessly. And due to that, some days I feel overwhelmed and wonder why I should even bother -- this is an impossible task, what was I thinking! But then I'll talk to someone about what I'm trying to accomplish and they just get it, and everything feels completely doable again. I know that the concept of diverting and converting food scraps with biology is sound. I just don't know how to make sure that I can earn a living at it. Food scraps are a valuable resource, but just like anything else, it takes time to transform into something usable. Which brings us back to speed over quality.
Although my situation is fairly nuanced [ha], my feeling of frustration is not special. I'm not sure which is more terrifying: thinking your problems are one-of-a-kind or realizing that they really aren't that special and it's all part of a general feeling that everyone will experience at one point in their lives, maybe at several points in their lives.
I have discovered that finding likeminded people is invaluable. It is easy to be inundated by the problems, but we are not an unintelligent species. We are ridiculously selfish and stubborn, but certainly smart. We can figure out intelligent solutions that are harmonious to the environment. The legacy that we leave should enrich not enslave.
So as I sit with all these thoughts careening through my mind, I have to tell myself: don't give up. Maybe you're reading this and you've actually said that to me. I heard you in that moment, but later on my overthinking kicked into overdrive and "paralysis by analysis" took over. It happens. What brings me back to center are the times that I reflect on when I've heard "don't give up. You've done so much, just don't give up." From the bottom of my heart I can truly say that I appreciate your encouragement more than you can know.
I won't give up but at this point in my life I'm feeling a little lost and frustrated and uncertain.
But then again, who hasn't?
We will all be ok.
Don't give up. We will all be ok.
Just don't give up.
As I look around at where we have come as a society, I feel that the progression of technology has given us a life of convenience that lacks purpose. It seems that everything is instant but little of it holds importance, and we base merit on speed rather than quality. It is why we value the plastic "disposable" spoon that will last on this earth long after our great great great grandchildren are gone. The convenient act of throwing a plastic spoon away [spoiler alert: there is no "away"] is deemed more valuable than taking the time to wash a metal one and keeping it for reuse. What have we become?
We find micro-plastics in the tiniest creatures of the ocean now. Weather patterns have changed dramatically. By 2050, there will be 9.7 billion people on the planet to feed. [That escalated quickly, right?] As one person, we hold little power to this, but as a unified whole, we can change it.
And yet: I feel this urgent anxiety about creating a solution to the food waste problem that we have. I've decided that I need to figure this out single-handedly and everything has to be executed flawlessly. And due to that, some days I feel overwhelmed and wonder why I should even bother -- this is an impossible task, what was I thinking! But then I'll talk to someone about what I'm trying to accomplish and they just get it, and everything feels completely doable again. I know that the concept of diverting and converting food scraps with biology is sound. I just don't know how to make sure that I can earn a living at it. Food scraps are a valuable resource, but just like anything else, it takes time to transform into something usable. Which brings us back to speed over quality.
Although my situation is fairly nuanced [ha], my feeling of frustration is not special. I'm not sure which is more terrifying: thinking your problems are one-of-a-kind or realizing that they really aren't that special and it's all part of a general feeling that everyone will experience at one point in their lives, maybe at several points in their lives.
I have discovered that finding likeminded people is invaluable. It is easy to be inundated by the problems, but we are not an unintelligent species. We are ridiculously selfish and stubborn, but certainly smart. We can figure out intelligent solutions that are harmonious to the environment. The legacy that we leave should enrich not enslave.
So as I sit with all these thoughts careening through my mind, I have to tell myself: don't give up. Maybe you're reading this and you've actually said that to me. I heard you in that moment, but later on my overthinking kicked into overdrive and "paralysis by analysis" took over. It happens. What brings me back to center are the times that I reflect on when I've heard "don't give up. You've done so much, just don't give up." From the bottom of my heart I can truly say that I appreciate your encouragement more than you can know.
I won't give up but at this point in my life I'm feeling a little lost and frustrated and uncertain.
But then again, who hasn't?
We will all be ok.
Don't give up. We will all be ok.
Just don't give up.
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