Why Our Planet Needs You to be Kind to Yourself this Earth Day

Last weekend my hubbie and I visited the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition. It was beautiful, stunning—and also upsetting. There was one photo of an elephant, wading through a literal sea of garbage. Apparently 20 elephants had died from eating garbage in the last 3 years alone. See the picture and learn more here >>

And it made me think of all the stuff we buy—and all the plastic it’s packaged in.

Humans may desperately need more kindness, but so does our planet…

Because we’re all consuming. And that consumption is taking its toll on our world.

Beyond the price that we pay at the checkout, there’s a cost to our planet in everything we buy whether it’s raw material extraction, energy to produce things, pollution from factories and the shipping of products around the world, or the fact that products are commonly wrapped in plastics and polystyrene.

And we are being manipulated

The sad thing is that we’re being deliberately manipulated into buying more.

Big corporations don’t want us kind, peaceful and relaxed. The big corporations and tech giants that run this world want us distracted, on edge, believing we’re not enough. They want us unhappy and dissatisfied so they can convince us to buy their thing—whether we need it or not.

Advertising is constantly giving us the message that we’re not enough. But these messages also come more subtly from product placement in TV Shows and Movies (or where an “average middle class American” has a gorgeous house perfectly decorated), social media, our friends, and the magazines and books we read.

Some examples include:

• A vitamin or protein powder (you’re not healthy enough, your body will fall apart without this)
• A new formulation mascara or rejuvenating skin cream (you’re not attractive—or young enough)
• A new kitchen (your home is not good enough, you are not stylish enough, impress your friends!)
• A piece of running gear (you need this to run faster)
• A new car (because good parents don’t drive minivans from 2015, be cooler, be more successful)

These messages are all around us, all the time. And this is what big corporations want. They want us dissatisfied with ourselves and our lives so we buy things we don’t need. So we replace things even when they still work (especially phones, TVs & cars). So we throw away and buy new rather than repair.

And it’s working…

Perhaps you’ve noticed that conversations about climate change and pollution have been deprioritised?

It’s not surprising with wars springing up everywhere. The shift to the right in our political landscape (around the world) has led to more individualism, more divisiveness and othering. And extreme religion is also increasing whether it’s Christian fundamentalism in the United States or fundamentalist Islam in Afghanistan, Iran and many African countries.

All this leads to more distraction and more fear.

And while we’re distracted, our world is being stripped of its natural resources. Oil to supply energy for transportation, lithium for electric car and phone batteries, water for factories and growing food and plants, limestone for concrete production (which emits large amounts of CO2), wood for building. And any and all the things that go into the products that we buy.

All this industry, the emissions and resource extraction is damaging our planet, changing environments and impacting our climate.

And big corporations are taking advantage. Tech companies like Facebook (Meta) and Google are literally cashing in on all the advertising.

The sad thing is that in our distraction and fear we allow ourselves to be manipulated into buying—without connecting that to our degrading environment and climate

So how do we break free from this cycle?

Well it’s not by feeling guilt when we buy things.

Instead we need to give ourselves space to get curious about what we actually need—versus what we’ve been led to want.

Wait, but what has any of this to do with Fierce Kindness?

Well, first, it takes courage to see the truth

To begin to see and understand any of this takes great courage: moral courage—the courage to recognize our own part in this.

It’s awkward and uncomfortable. For me too.

But I want you to know this is NOT about feeling bad. It’s about becoming aware. Because once we know better, we can do better.

And (Self-)Kindness Can Really Help!

It’s crucial that we learn to be kind to ourselves. We need to be kind to ourselves so we feel good—and whole.

Because when we’re kind to ourselves we take care of our TRUE needs, not the fear-based needs being triggered by ads and television shows. We feel stronger and are able to see the truth of things.

What do you really want and need? What do you truly think and feel? What do you value?

When we deeply connect to—and are kind to ourselves—we don’t need all the stuff that’s advertised at us

We might want stuff, but we don’t need it. It’s much easier to say, “No” because we feel good!

From this place, it’s much harder to manipulate us into buying things—or to feel pressured by what our friends are doing.

In short:

Feeling great helps us make better, more informed choices—ones that are better for our planet AND our bank accounts

Wrap-up

It’s true, facing global environmental issues can feel overwhelming at times. But even what seems like small choices can—and do—make a difference. Especially when it means buying less, buying local or choosing things with less packaging.

And kindness matters, because when we feel whole and love ourselves we’re stronger and more determined. We see the truth of things and make different choices for ourselves, our communities and our planet.

It also takes courage to think differently from the crowd. Courage to make change in our lives and reduce our negative impact on the world.

And that’s why we need FIERCE Kindness. A little added courage, strength and determination: courage and kindness together make us strong, resilient—and unstoppable!

So, this Earth Day #BeKindAlways—to yourself, to others—and to our beautiful planet earth.

If you liked this article for Earth Day, you may also like:

• Earth Day Series: 5 Ways to Be Kind to You—and Help the Planet!
• Earth Day Series: 8 Things You Can do to Shop More Kindly!
• 7 Rs for Earth Day: Go Beyond “Reduce, Reuse & Recycle” with 4 Powerful New Rs!
• Earth Day Infographic with 10 Awesome Ways to Make Our World a Better Place
• Fierce Kindness: Beautiful Affirmation Graphics for Earth Day

Change the World. Start with You!

Pst! Want to make a difference together?