Climate Action Conversations - Fish or Cut Bait

Our city is joining the National Conversation on Climate Action on Earth Day, April 22. I’m certainly up for the occasion, and I have fingers crossed for success. The goal is to have dialogue about practical steps our region can take to stave off rising sea levels that may result. It’s pretty important here, you see, because it’s predicted our town will disappear under water.

I serve on the steering committee that organized the local event. As one might expect, the organizers are a group of committed individuals who are passionate. Passion can shake the status quo toward change. However, there is the pitfall to passion that can destroy the common purpose. That pitfall occurs when partisan political barbs catapult into a meeting.

Early on our group laid a ground rule against sending up political lobs during our discussions. For the most part, we’ve kept to it. Occasionally a zinger spews, maybe someone has a zinger habit. When it occurs in our small group, we immediately remind each other what we all have agreed: No party lobs. No party zingers. No political jokes.

The national discussions on Earth Day are about climate change and our communities. If you have the opportunity to participate in one of these discussions, please do. As a word of caution, watch out for the red herring, that darting political zinger. Don’t let the splat of a political affront distract you from the mission. Likewise, take care you don't chum the waters with baited comments yourself. The zinger is bait. Baitfish are small. We have bigger fish to fry.