Not surprisingly, there’s been a lot in the news this week about the dentist who shot Cecil the Zimbabwean lion with a bow and arrow. This led to protests outside his surgery in the US, charges against those involved in the hunt in Zimbabwe and now there’s talk of extraditing him (if that hasn’t happened already). While he’s come forward to the authorities in the US, he and his family are now in hiding. The hunter has become the hunted. Bet he wishes he was the 1984 Oral-B Dentist so they couldn’t show his face on television…

The disappointing thing in this whole scenario at this stage (aside from the impact to wildlife and his family (I’m assuming they are just caught up in this and weren’t involved in the hunt themselves)) is now some people are upset that this is detracting from other issues. It is true, justice in this scenario is not the most pressing issue of our time, it is but one lion after all, but it is a symbol of something much greater, emphasises how big ‘one’ can really be and it does highlight the power of social media. And Ricky Gervais. That man has been amazing for animal welfare over the past few years.

In my ideal world, there would be no injustices. As one of my friends says, “dreams are free” so until we reach that point, this is how I would like people to think about the various causes and issues around the world:

• Pick what’s important to you – causes, charities, committees are in competition with each other for our attention, our passion and our money. It is not possible to support them all so pick what’s important for you and channel your energies, finances, education accordingly. 

• Educate yourself – when you’ve found your passion, make sure you’re educated. Read, talk to people and understand their agendas too. Know who the organisation is behind the study you’ve just read. Do they have a vested interest in the results which could influence how the study was run or the results themselves? Do they actively support a particular political party and as a result of this study, there’s been a particular law put forward? Read and understand both sides of the arguments. An opinion based on ignorance or fear is going to lead to you being used. Joining a bandwagon without knowing the facts is like the rats following the Pied Piper, you don’t really know where you’re being led, you just like the sound of the tune and you could be led anywhere. Not a good position to be in. You are being used to make up numbers.

• Get the full story or as much as possible – a quote is always part of something much bigger. Go to the source. Many things are taken out of context and a snapshot in most peoples’ days could be twisted to mean the exact opposite of their intent. Adam Goodes and the uproar surrounding him at the moment is a case in point. This is a particularly good story about exactly this and features his whole statements. Ask questions and find out more.

• Starting small is still a start – doing small things has a cumulative impact. As an example, consider how many plastic bags and bottled water you use in a year and assume you’re the average. This is one of those instances where people don’t like to consider themselves above-average. Now consider a groundswell of a few people stopping using these, this spreading to their friends, and then a few becoming so passionate, they petition their local government. Seemingly suddenly, these things are banned from the town. It all started with one person. Google even maps the towns that have banned the selling of plastic bottles.

  If it’s no real effort for you, you can even do it for things you’re not particularly passionate about such as always carrying a reusable bag with you for those last minute grocery trips. Every little bit counts.

• Words are powerful – Consider the words you use in how you explain things. Are you making sweeping generalisations and passing them off as facts? Admittedly, this is something I do when I’m being silly. Usually couched as “independent studies have shown….” or “three out of four (whatevers) do….” It can hide anything, be aware of your own biases.

  Insulting and name calling those that don’t agree with your view is futile. It shows that your argument is not strong enough or that they are not educated in the same areas that you are. Decide and act accordingly. Name calling just gets people offside and does more to set your cause back rather than pushing it forward.

• Keep your friends and respect others’ views – all your friends aren’t going to agree with your views. It doesn’t mean they are wrong and you are right. It means you have a diverse group of friends who share other opinions and can help you understand the wider context of the issue or cause you are supporting. This is a great. They will stretch you to make sure you really understand what it is you’re supporting.  Consider the possibility that you may have aligned yourself with an organisation that shouldn’t be supported. Maybe this is me in my ideal world again, but good friends aren’t about converting each other to a particular way of thinking, they are about being supportive and making sure you’re fine with your own decision. If we all thought the same way, the world would truly be a boring place.

• Walk in the others’ shoes – aside from helping develop your own viewpoint fully, this helps to see areas of compromise. It is highly unlikely that any of the issues that reach this point are as black and white as people like to make out which means that the solutions are not black and white either. There will often need to be compromise. There’s frequently more than two sides too. With an understanding of the others’ views, this is a lot faster to reach, a much more productive discussion and a resolution can then be implemented. Yes, this does have a touch of my ideal world in it. It does work.

• Be aware of the political landscape and how that is influencing the media in your country and even globally. Be aware of the use of language. A classic case is Australian politicians’ use of the “boat people” as “illegal immigrants”. These people are coming by boat as refugees. That is not actually illegal to do especially since Australia has signed various humanitarian accords etc. There’s outrage these people are “queue jumpers”, this is a really good example of politicians and media stirring the pot about the reality. Again, education is crucial before you weigh into either side of the argument. There are so many articles about this that I’m hard-pressed choosing just one. Start here for a broad overview if you’re one that is passionate about this particular issue. It’s also no secret the politicians deflect from what’s going on in parliament by raising side issues. There are a lot of instances of this in Australia and I’m guessing it happens elsewhere. 

• Start local – it is great to start local as it’s one of the more obvious ways to notice your impact. Whether this is volunteering at dog shelter, picking up rubbish, eating sustainably caught fish or not buying takeaway coffee in disposable cups, every little bit helps your immediate community. Participating in sporting events as fund-raisers has the benefit of adding to your own health too. You could consider starting or joining a group that already does this kind of thing and push yourself to do a little more. You don’t need to take on the world’s problems. There is enough right in front of you.

• Thoughts and feelings are not interchangeable terms – while no-one can argue your feelings, don’t replace ‘feeling’ with ‘thinking’ when putting your views forward. It is disingenuous to call a thought a feeling so that it can’t be argued. If the sentence starts “I feel…”, that’s a genuine feeling eg. “I feel cold”. Whenever ‘feel’ is followed by ‘that’, it is a thought eg. “I feel that it is cold”. This could easily read “I think that it is cold” and be open for question as to how cold is cold etc? Own it, stand up to it and be prepared to defend it. If you can’t, educate yourself so that you can and in the meantime, be quiet or ask questions to further your understanding and listen to those who are putting their thoughts forward. You may learn something that will help with your own views and influence your subsequent actions. 

• Facts and beliefs aren’t the same either – facts are generally irrefutable and while the source can be questioned and how they became fact can be challenged, they are still ‘facts’. Beliefs can change. Beliefs should change based on fact. It takes courage to acknowledge a previous belief was based on incorrect or not enough information. Again,  own it. It’s empowering. If more people changed their mind when they understood the facts or had more of them, the world would certainly be a bit different to how it is today.

• Stop complaining and do something – Please don’t complain about what’s going on in the world today if you are not actively doing something to improve the situation. Be a part of the solution and do what you can to improve things. Abusing people who don’t agree with you does not help. It also shows that your argument lacks a foundation if you’re reduced to petty name calling against those who have opposing views to you. 

• Vote – this is one of the privileges that most of us have and given that we all make use of the government services, whether roads, hospitals, education, etc, we have a responsibility to vote and make an educated decision about which party we are voting into parliament. While it may feel futile at times, our voices are heard. In most places, there are more than two parties, use your vote to say which you would like. While they may not be the next in power, there is a shift. Use your vote wisely and don’t waste it through apathy.