It was 1988 when New York City police officer - John McClane - set out to save his estranged wife and several others taken hostage by terrorists during a Christmas party at the Nakatomi Plaza in Los Angeles.
And you know what? Against all odds... HE. PULLED. IT. OFF.
HOW?
Resilience and the power of HOLLYWOOD BABY. (Yes the officer in question is a fictional character from the movie DIE HARD, played by Bruce Willis).
Until recently, our culture's been obsessed with stories about one tough person's ability to rise up and overcome insurmountable odds.
It makes for a great story, and it's helped shape our perception around resilience, but it's just not true.
According to research, the lone wolf (individual) is less, rather than more resilient.
Resilience is all about one's ability to overcome challenges and bounce back when things are tough, and according to research:
"The single most common factor for children who develop resilience is at least one stable and committed relationship with a supportive parent, caregiver, or other adult." (Harvard)
It's become super clear that our 'climate' is a shared resource - burning coal in the US and Canada can actually have an impact on droughts, floods and wildfires the world over.
To overcome the challenges ahead, I think we will need to apply the principals of resilience, building bridges, and partnerships across national and political boundaries.
For this reason, I think the Climate Crisis presents a needed opportunity. The 20th century showed just how nasty we can be to each other (massive wars, nuclear weapons, multiple attempts at genocide... Ugh).
I believe the 21st Century and the ensuing climate crisis is demonstrating just how much that old system didn't work and we need to figure out ways to work together.
Thanks as always for reading and learning with me, I hope every time you think of etee, you think about new ways that EVERYTHING TOUCHES EVERYTHING ELSE.
And if you'd like to take another action to reduce your emissions and plastic, CLICK HERE to visit the shop!
