Wow. My last post generated 12 comments so far. That's nearly 12 times what I get on average.
So, from now on I'll only blog about Al Gore. People love to talk about him and disagree with me.
Speaking of, in one post, I was able to get people to disagree with me who have very opposite ideas about climate change, politics, and religion. Does this mean I'm somewhere in the middle?
I love it when people get incited and find messengers to shoot. It's a great phenomenon that is very helpful for getting things done and changed.
If you hate Al Gore, then it doesn't matter what his electric bill is or if he poops in compost toilets while living in a windmill. You may be a little happier when you fall asleep at night if you found out that he single-uses towels or replaces light bulbs daily and then crushes up the old ones and puts them in peanut butter sandwiches that he and Tipper take to homeless shelters every Wednesday.
Or, if you just want people to make a difference, you realize that Al is doing good things and you just try to highlight them. You can adjust for size and money what he spends on electricity. Yes, his very large house uses a lot of electricity. That's his choice that the sweet freedom of America brings. However, when measuring electricity, one should not look at the money spent. Once should look at nonrenewable resources used.
So, for those of you who think the Gores should move to a one-bedroom efficiency apartment and do all of their reading during the day (so they don't need to turn on any lights), where are your windmills and solar panels? Where is your air conditioner (I hope you don't have one)? Where is your hybrid?
And for those who think Gore's behavior negates the research done on climate change, gimme a break. Did you abandon baseball because Barry Bonds pumps his arteries full of cow hormones to hit homeruns? Did you abandon politics because of Watergate, White Water, or Iraq? Did you abandon flying because of terrorists or pilot error?
If you're someone, who doesn't enjoy sports, or vote, or travel, bravo. I would love to meet you in your isolation and give you a prize.
But, if you live in the real world, then you know that no one is perfect and the actions of one do not brand a group. You know that not everyone can be Superman or Wonder Woman or Jack Bauer or Oprah.
If you live in the real world, you know that things matter like your family, your job, your home, your legacy, and your neighborhood. And while we'd all like to be hybrid-driving, non-judgmental, freedom-loving, perfect people, we're not.
But we do all have 24 hours everyday. And at the end of them, we look back and wish we'd done things differently. We celebrate the small victories (like loving someone different than us, or recycling our morning newspapers) and we try to do it again tomorrow.
So before you string Al Gore up for all to see, or before you think that his electric bill or his boringness are killing baby seals, celebrate the good he (and you) is doing and try to do the same.
Blaming someone else is not an excuse for your inaction.