The standard for change isn’t “is my doing this going to change the world?” The standard is “is my doing this part of the shift I want to see my community make?” And if the answer is yes, I do my best
2026-04-26 12:38 UTC
Replies (15)
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@grue@lemmy.world 2026-04-26 15:34
Are plastic recycling and "what's your carbon footprint?" scams to shift blame away from Big Oil? Yes. Should you try to recycle and reduce your carbon footprint anyway, despite that? Also yes!
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@Aceticon@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2026-04-27 09:21
As much as possible I chose to be a part of the solution rather than a part of the problem. Most modern day problems are mainly systemic, which is why I **ALSO** end up involved in Politics in most countries I live in. "Don't be part of the problem" isn't a solution for systemic problems, it's just living according to one's principles but won't actually shift the entire system in any meaningful way unless one is a billionaire or a famous personality.
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@hash@slrpnk.net 2026-04-26 13:35
Thank you. This is what I scrolled through all the shit news to read today.
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@keepthepace@slrpnk.net 2026-04-26 23:20
I feel we need inverse buddhism: instead of "compassion to the world", which required a huge imagination effort in the times of Buddha, we are now overflowed with the vision of the world's suffering and we need re-align our compassion with the other fields that matter: the portion of the world we can act upon and that can act upon us. You are not going to stop the bombs that are right now flying towards people. But you are going to receive the news of the suffering they cause, and if you are even slightly empathic, you will feel the pain of the people these bomb will make grieve. What matters is that you can make good where you are. Don't be ignorant of the world's pain, but protect yourself. The world just grew its nervous system and it fires its pain receptors like crazy. Do what you need to stay sane.
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@tamarasellman@social.seattle.wa.us 2026-04-26 13:14
[@stabby\_cicada](https://slrpnk.net/u/stabby_cicada) and this is why I make art and tell stories in the way only I know how to. At age 4, I learned it was my gift. At age 60, I have finally learned that • self belief is powerful • individual creativity feeds the collective engine Together, we can generate the energy needed to move from the old world of exploitation and division to the new world of community coherence and equitability.
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@wolfyvegan@slrpnk.net 2026-04-26 14:08
For those who read this and aren't sure _what_ to do, [living vegan and planting fruit trees](https://amazonrestore.codeberg.page/what-can-we-do/) are very effective steps toward uprooting the capitalist system that's wreaking havoc in the world.
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@wpb@lemmy.world 2026-04-26 23:32
That's all well and good, but relying on individual action to solve systemic problems still doesn't work. Systemic problems require system-level solutions. We didn't get rid of the hole in the ozon layer because everyone individually did their part; we got there through regulations, laws, and action on the level of governments.
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@terminatortwo@piefed.social 2026-04-26 21:18
i think the overall sentiment of doing your bit is good, but I think this misses some nuance. When people talk about not focusing on individual action that might not have an effect, often they mean: don’t guilt others for not doing one particular action, or don’t spend all your limited energy litigating actions with small impact. We all have different constraints, needs and energy levels. Focusing on what the other is doing instead of the systems that cause these problems means that people with disabilities, economic disadvantage, etc. are often scolded for stuff that frankly doesn’t matter. Oppose systems, support people.
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@FederatedFreedom1981@lemmy.ca 2026-04-26 22:25
One snowflake doesn't make an avalanche, but if enough snowflakes fall, the mountainside is wiped away.
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@Comrade_Squid@lemmy.ml 2026-04-27 10:08
A principled stance would be to do what ever you feel helps but also understand that as one we are weak, collectively we are strong, then we need to find the most effective way to crush capitalism as a collective. I would champion mutual aid, this has changed over the years. wouldn't we as a collective do better in funnelling our resources towards building cadre's capable of leading a revolution? Rather than knitting clubs leading soup kitchens?
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@phoenixz@lemmy.ca 2026-04-26 23:53
It's not that I can't do anything, I do all I can It's that one dickhead billionaire asshole ruins all the good intentions of millions. Why try to get more millions when we should go after those ones...
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@LwL@lemmy.world 2026-04-27 09:15
Overall, I just try to be better than average for people in my area. If everyone did that, we'd keep moving the average to a better point. I don't need to completely upend my life for ultimately negligible impact, but I refuse to be the problem.
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@TheEighthDoctor@lemmy.zip 2026-04-26 20:55
You lost me at "faith that millions of others will do their best as well..."
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@vegafjord@slrpnk.net 2026-04-26 20:14
I don't believe that we can't bring about change. Human beings has a change force. We sow seeds that will bloom with time. Some growlings will need less time, and others will need more time. Especially bigger change will need more time, but as long as we are patient, and give proper care, the growling will bloom. We bring about change in ourselves through bloom. We water our inner growlings. Water our expression, our meaning, our connections. Our lids are removed from our heads, and we bloom. We luminate our bloom upon others. Our inner warmth is radiating upon others through all of our communicative channels, our bodylanguage, our facial expressions, our language. We wave our beings through society and through the world. This is primarily done through poetic resonance. But although I have emphasized how these can change society for the better, they can also change society for the worse, so we need to be use our changeforce wisely.
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@Shellofbiomatter@lemmus.org 2026-04-26 14:24
Well yeah, but I don't have enough belief in others to assume they are doing their part, even in my own small limited community. Much less in rest of the world. Neither do i have social skills to convince anyone either. So any positive action i do is just for my own good, fully knowing it's completely meaningless on almost any scale. So just out of a selfish desire to not feel like shit.