Does anyone else get really depressed about things like

[Critters2]

globalization or other political issues? I mean REALLY depressed? I've been working against globalization in small ways for years, trying to fight factory farms, supporting CSAs, writing congresscritters about the issue, educating parishioners and pretty much anyone else I can buttonhole, belonging to bunches of groups to support local ag, buying from thriftshops rather than Wal-Mart, and on and on. I'll keep doing all these things, but it all seems so huge!! And the wheat gluten stuff, and its possible connections to ADM just remind me how huge it is....and makes me feel small, insignificant, powerless.

I just want to grab people and scream about the harm this is all doing to so many aspects of life. And then I wonder "Why bother?"

Still, maybe this is the moment that makes people start to pay attention. Maybe.

Probably not.

Thanks for letting me rant. I think I'll take a kava kava and go to bed.

[SPKrazy]

1. Yah, all those things

and one does wonder...why bother?

:shrug:

it matters!

[Robeson]

2. Yes, it does get depressing sometimes....

...but then, when one reads an article like this one, there is hope....
http://www.odemagazine.com/article.php?aID=3932

[Critters2]

5. That article is helpful...and hopeful. Thanks! nt

[grannylib]

3. Yes, I do...but I think action is the best antidote to that depression.

It may seem futile; it may seem as though there are no positive results from all your efforts; it may seem as though you are beating your head against the wall. But the difference you make, even if for one person, is surely worth it to that one. And sometimes that is all we can do...impact one person, one at a time.

My mom spent some time in India about 22 years ago, working with Mother Teresa in her homes in Calcutta for the destitute and dying, and Mom said that was one thing that Mother Teresa always talked about: starting with one. There were so many in Calcutta, not to mention India, and the rest of the world, needing help, that to think about it on a grand scale would have been overwhelming, especially for just one person. So she started with one. She picked up one person in need and brought him to the home, and then she got another one.

So take heart...your efforts together with those of others who think and act as you do WILL make a difference, and for more than just one...but we can always start with that one, and continue with one more, and one more...

Sleep well!

[Cobalt-60]

4. yes it is depressing

You are not alone. Keep up the fight.
The soulless corporate machines and their shills can be beaten, often by simply editing them out of your life.
Just remember the inspiration words of Yul Brenner in the Magnificent Seven,
"I'll shoot the next man who says a word about giving up!"
It works for me.

[Bullwinkle925]

6. Yes - I hosted our book club last nite in which one of our selections was

"Enrique's Journey" regarding the amount of children who ride atop trains to join their mothers/fathers who are working in this country. Our discussion led me to ask if anyone had read "Confessions of an Economic Hitman". I know I don't do as good a job as I should when making my purchases, but I do try to keep as true to my beliefs as possible.

[Kajsa]

7. Mycritters, I've gotten REALLY depressed,

and felt at times like all my efforts are for naught.

But I heard once that three of the most dangerous
words around were,

" what's the use?"

That and the Yul Brennar quote above ( see #4) are
good enough for me to keep on keepin on.

;-)

[Skittles]

8. yes

"globalization" has made me lose pride in my country - we are selling our jobs to the lowest bidders now and getting crap in return

[Lydia Leftcoast]

9. I am discouraged, but I see signs of hope

People are waking up, and your actions may affect people in ways you barely realize.

Although my situation here makes it impossible, I lived without a car in Portland, Oregon. When I first did it, everyone thought I was crazy, but by the time I left ten years later, five of my friends had also given up their cars.

I think that corporatism resonates with a lot of people who THINK they're Republicans. Another aspect of my life in Portland was living in the same apartment building as a group of older women who were life-long Republican activists. But even they bemoaned the loss of local businesses and the decline of customer service and local philanthropy.

I'd say keep talking to people. If you get them thinking about things, there's no telling where they might end up!

For everyone there's a trigger point, just as Robert Kennedy became passionate about poverty in America after visiting the Missisippi Delta with a Senate delegation. I know I've had several, one for each issue that I'm interested in.

You may provide someone else's trigger point without knowing it. Maybe you already have.

[KT2000]

10. Yes, especially lately

There is some consciousness raising happening now. That will keep me afloat for a while.

[KG]

11. little by little the tide is turning

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YisPgRoSsRA

[wildhorses]

14. that was beautiful, thanks for the link

the tide is turning

[raccoon]

12. Yes, and it makes me glad I'm past the half-century mark. nt

[joneschick]

13. keep on ranting. It's good for us

:hi: and thank you--I just emailed for info on a CSA that I've meant to do for years and never got around to.