Maya Angelou once said this about growing up:
“Every human being has paid the earth to grow up. Most people don't grow up. It's too damn difficult. What happens is most people get older. That's the truth of it. They honor their credit cards, they find parking spaces, they marry, they have the nerve to have children, but they don't grow up. Not really. They get older. But to grow up costs the earth. The earth. It means you take responsibility for the time you take up, for the space you occupy.”
I think about this quote a lot. Each character I type on this page feels like part of the space I occupy. I consider the impact my words could have carefully, because every word we utter carries responsibility.
The older I get, the more I value my words.
It is not easy, which is why so many people do not do it. That doesn’t mean they are bad people. Some may not even realize they are avoiding this responsibility. These behavioral patterns are usually learned. They may deflect, shift blame, or rationalize what their actions cost them and the Earth instead of reflecting and choosing differently.
Changing that takes conscious effort.
It doesn’t mean self-shame, and it doesn’t mean being hard on yourself. It’s more like an enduring compassion that knows you can change.
It’s okay to be wrong. It’s okay to make a mistake and do something different. It’s okay not to know something, and to have both the capacity and the desire to learn and grow. This doesn’t make you behind, weak, or bad. It’s one of the most valuable qualities you can have.
Even though intergovernmental authorities and scientists stated years ago that we can't create new fossil fuel projects, coal mines, or mine extensions if we want to stay within our carbon budget, governments keep green-lighting them anyway. 8 million people die every single year prematurely from air pollution. But this is not the way things have to be. We still have the option to choose differently. In this context, we must examine our nations' actions.
If growing up means taking responsibility for the space we occupy, I also believe that means we all have a responsibility to help build the systems we use and to influence the change we want to see in them, whether or not we are in a position of leadership.
Angelou was not a scientist, but she does something I think great writers do: tell the truth. Her framing of what growing up means is powerful, and it is the reality.
In my conversation with political ecologist Bram Büscher, he implores scientists not just to speak “facts to power.”
Büscher says we need to speak truth to power. That means standing behind your words with integrity, moral clarity, and participatory influence.
Sitting on the sidelines or simply reciting the science, he says, unfortunately, doesn’t heed that call.
It makes me think of a quote from Colin Kaepernick in an interview with Rich Roll:
“If we are actually going to be a part of a society, what is our role in that beyond just our individual interests? To me, part of that responsibility is…when you do have access and opportunity, how do you use that to create broader opportunity and help other people thrive? If we aren’t doing that, I just don’t look at that as society.”
What is your sphere of influence in your life? Where are you placed to use your voice? If you really wanted to use your influence or your voice in the way that your moral center is calling you to, what would you do?
If you’re not sure, how can you find out?
These are questions worth pondering—and acting on.
Mike
Image: Port Jackson fig trees (Ficus microcarpa) lining the walkway into Centennial Park, Sydney, AU. Taken at sunset. Photo by Mike DiGirolamo.