Wild Earth Integration

Nobody does epic like Al Pacino.

I came across this video during my ‘net travels, but after watching it, something about the message stuck with me.

Maybe it will stick with you too.

The following  is a speech by Pacino, from the movie Any Given Sunday. (Perhaps my sports fan readers will perk up at that title?)

It’s a movie about football, but bear with me. He’s motivating his team for their last game, but when I first heard it, I couldn’t help but notice something. I was struck by how powerful the words were when not related to football.

Put your feet up, grab a drink and check out the video first – I’ll see you below. (Note for parents with kiddos nearby: he drops the f-bomb, once.) I’ve copied the transcript below for those without a steady connection.

“I don’t know what to say really. Three minutes till the biggest battle of our professional lives. It all comes down to today. Now either we heal as a team, or we’re gonna crumble. Inch by inch, play by play, till we’re finished. We’re in hell right now, gentlemen. Believe me. And we can stay here, get the shit kicked out of us, or we can fight our way back into the light. We can climb out of hell. One inch at a time.

Now I can’t do it for you. I’m too old. I look around, I see these young faces, and I think… I mean I’ve made every wrong choice a middle-aged man can make. I pissed away all my money, believe it or not. I chased off anyone who’s ever loved me, and lately, I can’t even stand the face I see in the mirror. You know when you get old in life, things get taken from you. That’s part of life. But you only learn that when you start losing stuff. You find out life’s this game of inches. And so is football. Because in either game, life or football, the margin for error is so small. I mean… one half a step too late or too early and you don’t quite make it. One half second too slow too fast, you don’t quite catch it. The inches we need are everywhere around us. They are in every break of the game, every minute, every second. On this team, we fight for that inch. On this team, we tear ourselves and everyone else around us to pieces for that inch. We claw with our fingernails for that inch. Because we know when we add up all those inches, that’s gonna make the f***ing difference between winning and losing! Between living and dying! I’ll tell you this — in any fight, its the guy whose willing to die who’s gonna win that inch. And I know if I’m going to have any life anymore, it’s because I’m still willing to fight and die for that inch. Because that’s what living is! The 6 inches in front of your face…

Now I can’t make you do it. You’ve got to look at the guy next to you, look into his eyes. Now I think you’re gonna see a guy who will go that inch with you. You’re gonna see a guy who will sacrifice himself for this team, because he knows when it comes down to it, you’re gonna do the same for him.

That’s a team, gentlemen. And either we heal, now, as a team, or we will die, as individuals. That’s football, guys. That’s all it is. Now, what are you going to do?”

——

Pretty good, eh? Think about it.

Of course, this post isn’t about football. It’s about doing something right, doing something together to change the course our planet is on. There are a lot of causes out there. People, places and animals that need some help. We’re losing things that matter to our health and to our spirit. It’s not all bad – but the fact remains that without a lot of positive changes, we’re going to lose out.

Al’s message is about picking one thing – or one hundred things – one inch or one hundred – that you will do to add your part for the team.

Then it’s about acting on it.

Some people take their inch by bringing kids closer to nature. Some write books, create art or even commandeer a bus to deliver local, healthy food to people who can’t get it. Sometimes they become famous for it, but normally it’s an unglamorous yet steady, consistent effort to do their part.

So say it again: Either we heal as a team, or we die as individuals.

We are all surrounded by other people – willing to go the extra mile, right along with you. We have the tools in front of us to make real things happen for the earth.

We can do this thing, inch by inch.

So to quote my man Al, “Now, what are you going to do?“

Hey all!

I’ve got some good news and some great news today, annnnd it just might happen to involve some free stuff for you, too!

Some of you might recall my post about New Zealand travel secrets. (If not, that’s okay I won’t track you down or anything). Well, the nice folks at Tripbase have recruited me, and along with a group of other authors and bloggers they’ve put together a series of travel ebooks. Hurrah ebooks!

That’s the good news. The great news #1 is that these books are available free to you. Great news #2 is that for every person that nabs one, they’re going to donate $1 to Charity:Water. That’s something worth celebrating.

I know my readers are a well informed crew, so I don’t have to tell you that fresh water is a privilege that many people on this planet don’t have.

In fact, almost one billion people don’t have access to clean drinking water.

One billion.

To top if off, this lack of clean water kills more people than all forms of violence, including war, and causes 80% of all disease.

But you can help.

What you need to know:

• For every downloaded ebook, a $1 donation is made to Charity:Water – these fine people work to build freshwater wells and provide clean drinking water to those in developing nations
• Charity:Water ensures that 100% of donations directly fund water projects.
• Our target is to build 4 freshwater wells, to provide clean water for an entire school for the next 20 years.

All aboard?

Click here to grab your free ebooks (there are 7 for you!) and join the growing group of people helping provide life saving fresh water to those who need it.

Oh, and feel free to pass this page along to friends to get the ball rolling, hmm? Let’s get this party started!

Roz Savage rocks.

If you haven’t been following Ted talks (what’s wrong with you?!), you should definitely check out this little gem. Roz is a British lady, who woke up one morning and felt like her life wasn’t quite right.

To figure out what to do about it, she decided to write two versions of her obituary.

The first obituary was for the life path she was currently on, a good life, but not quite the life she had envisioned for herself.

The second obituary told another story – of a her life full of adventure, excitement and most importantly, meaning.

Looking at the two versions, she realized that was a large discrepancy between them: if she wanted the life she really wanted, she would have to make some changes.

In true hero form, she quit her job (I love it when people do that) and decided to row across the oceans. Alone.

I hate to be a Stevie Spoiler here, so I won’t go into the details of the rest of her story. But I will draw your attention to one part: before going on her adventure, Roz had a very specific idea about what ‘adventurers’ were supposed to look like.

Might be worth thinking about whether you see yourself as an adventurer too?

Of course, we’re all about saving the planet here. Yes, she talks about that too.

Click here to see this awesome video.

You don’t need a blog post to tell you that the Earth could use our help right now.

So instead, this Earth Day, I challenge you to do something.

People protect what they love – so take a moment and think about what you love.

Now the important part:

How you feel only matters to you. What you do and how you act are the real game changers.

If you love dolphins, take a stand and head on over here to visit the website from the video. If you love your pet, support your local SPCA. If having wild spaces on the planet is important to you, check out WWF. If your heart is tugged by the plight of animal cruelty, WSPA might be more for you.

Of course, supporting organizations such as these isn’t the only way to protect the Earth. You could also:

Plant a tree, pick up litter, participate in a shoreline cleanup, educate children, educate seniors, walk not drive, turn the lights out, recycle, unplug everything, reverse your fans, create a wildlife habitat, compost, use both sides of the paper, buy less, hike more, turn the water off, ban disposable cups, check your car for leaks, read earth saving books, buy used, clean with vinegar, switch to energy efficient bulbs, make sure your fridge is at 40 degrees, use cloth bags, respect what you eat, support local farmers, stop junk mail, snip 6-pack rings, buy dolphin safe tuna, avoid tropical hardwoods, carpool, aerate your faucet, take a little less, give a little more…

and last but not least: spread the word.

This world has been mighty good to us, so this Earth Day, I challenge you!

Keep it wild!

When it’s all said and done, water has been quite good to us.

Download ‘In Praise of Water’ at the link below:

In Praise of Water - Classroom Poster (136)