Can you take a moment to imagine that a “really hard day” for you, might actually feel like a good day to others? How might this be true?

I do think about this. I particularly think about refugees. There are over 70 million refugees on this planet right now. More than 26 million of those are under the age of 18. Most live in makeshift settlements, some are able to get to cities. About 2.6 million of them live in camps, where they are basically… prisoners. No work, no shops, no schools for their children, very poor sanitation, next to no medical care, overcrowded, living in tents in bitter cold and excessive heat, and the likelihood they will spend years there. Many have already escaped violence, lost loved ones, some have been tortured or maimed.

Please understand that Climate Change is like a macabre game of musical chairs. Just because we are sitting, doesn’t mean that there aren’t progressively fewer chairs. The destruction and desertification of parts of the planet have real consequences. We tend to blame violence for creating refugees and there is that… but the violence usually stems from shortages, and the shortages are driven largely by a hurting planet. Corruption is born out of trying to grab what little resource there are. People need futures.

Each of us is able to do something to help the crisis, and it doesn’t have to cost us personally. You can conserve resources, purchase local food, waste little, drive less, walk more, eat less meat and processed food, have just a bit fewer clothes that we care for longer, spoil less food in our fridge… all of these things would be good for us, and good for all of us. Our consumption created most of this situation. Shifting our consumption can help the planet mend.

I feel very blessed. It is random how/where I was born. I drew a lucky card. If you are reading this online, so did you. We are of the 20% most wealthy on the planet.