My thoughts on; ‘This Is About Power’: An Interview With Bill McKibben

This interview with Bill McKibben, the founder of 350.org really gets to me the importance of the people in making change and developing progress.

In the recent past I've fluctuated between the vitality of either a strong focus on what I'll call "back room deals" and the opposite or gathering a strong base. Bill McKibben talks about this in slightly different ways, but very related. He at one point thought that by merely writing the stories and taking an un-opinionated approach that someone else with more passion and means of organizing would take up the roll. He has since seen that there was a lacking in that department and saw it as his responsibility to take up that void. He represents, as he mentioned, one of the earliest and strongest supporters of the climate change conversation. Since his personal realization he has made strong strides in developing or helping to develop a group of impassioned people around the issue of the environment. He still writes, but now from an opinionated stance and continues to pursue organizational ends.

McKibben was able to reach a balance in his approach that should be recognized and applauded. Personally, this "battle" to find my place has seen progress as well. I feel more inspired on a daily basis by merely having discussions with new people about the wide array of challenges we face. I continually try to pursue an opportunistic outlook and approach with gathering support. While it seems there is a never ending outlay of issues and challenges on every level of the playing field, we can at least find a sense of joy in the simple fact that there is an acknowledgement of an issue at hand and that we have a stake in trying to solve it. Patience is another factor that is important for the many leaders and groups of people throughout the world who are making strong efforts in addressing these challenges.

As I said, in the past I've fluctuated between different routes to success, sometimes based upon the latest reading or film that I was watching. For some time there was a strong negative approach that called for radical revolution and immediate change. And while there is much to be taken from the past approaches of revolution such as pure passion and resilient energy, I've also come to the belief that these upheavals and rapid changes are not robust and lasting in the long term. There is a distinct difference in organizing and bringing people together to show support for an issue and calling for rapid change through revolution. This dilemma is where I see the need for both organization and direct participation with all parties concerned. As far as my personal place within this system, I'm still finding that balance, but will continue to be involved with all sides and pursue learning about all tasks at hand.