A little bit

A lot of people care enough to want to do something, but we don't know what to do. We can make better choices about what we buy, what we throw away, how much we consume. Those things help a little bit, and on the scale of one person, those little bits add up to a lot. But on the scale of civilization, those little bits add up to just a little bit.

"Every little bit helps," they say. But it helps only a little bit.

When I was 9 or 10 I read an illustrated Bible for a few weeks. The story of Moses going to talk to Pharaoh comes to my mind a lot. God wanted Moses to go to Pharaoh and ask for freedom. Moses said, "but what will I say?" And God said in response, "don't worry about it, I'll speak through you."

I loved the ease of surrendering to that trust, that the right words will come when I need them. And I surrender to that trust now too. Then it was God speaking through me, and now it's the beauty and verity of my values.

I value honesty, trust, and integrity. I value community, compassion, and freedom*. I value clean air, clean water, and healthy food.

If I'm acting from my values, any bit I give will make a difference. Usually just a little bit of difference, but maybe sometimes a big bit.

* I mainly mean ontological freedom, freedom from any constraints on our ability to be.