Pledge to an EARTH in trouble.

Now unless you have been living in a cave, under a rock, blind folded and ear plugged, you would probably agree that the human race is going up the proverbial shit creek without a paddle.

But our current situation is not new. For thousands of years and since our ancestors have worked out a way of invading their neighbour's stuff, we have been killing each other for all sorts of reasons whether to expand our territory, to impose our religion, our values or simply because we hated one another.

The term 'evolution' can be described as the process of formation, growth, development.

Has the human race evolved? Well yes. We went through mutation, natural selection and genetic drift. We have shaped our environment and fiddled with the genetic material of domestic animals again to suit our needs.

I won't bore you with all our achievements, our wonderful discoveries, inventions because that's not the subject of this post.

I don't have to look very far to get an idea on how we are faring as a race when it comes to intellectual maturity. Not bloody brilliant to say the least. I honestly cannot think of the last era in our human history when there wasn't a war being fought somewhere on our planet. It is certainly not the case at the moment. 

And it's not just wars of course. We are dealing with a plethora of injustices, persecutions, violence, cruelty, against people of all gender, ages, races, religious beliefs, political convictions, sexual inclinations, etc.

Things are just NOT GETTING BETTER. We are failing as a race and failing to achieve the ultimate utopia of a peaceful world.

So what can your average punter in the street can do to change our dire situation before it’s too late.

Let's take me for example. I'm your average punter.

I work, I come home and I love my family and my friends. I don't hold any grudges and I don't hate anybody. I'm a law abiding citizen. I'll help my neighbor whenever I can. I listen to the news. I get outraged. I say something on Facebook. I go to bed and I start all over again the next day.
Occasionally I cast my vote but I'm never quite sure what I'm doing since I usually don't listen to the political pre-election campaigns and I toss the pamphlets in the bin.

But, I do ask myself questions; especially of late. I am 51; I have children and also now a grandchild.
What is trotting in my head at the moment is how the hell can I leave a planet in this state to my children and my grandchild? Where did I go wrong and what can I do to try and fix this mess before I take the long trip?

Getting involved is the only answer I can come up with. My position so far has been mostly as an observer. Never really taking on any causes to try and make a difference. It's a very big mistake that I am guilty of and not that proud of it.
It's not that I can't be bothered, but I guess I have always come up with some sort of excuse in the past and just moved on. 

So I will try and become an active citizen. I will try and improve the lives of others. I will contribute to social justice in my community by taking action on issues in order to make a difference. I will question the way things are done globally, nationally and locally.

That is the pledge I make to my children and my grandchild for their future and that of all my fellow human beings.