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Change Writers

January 31, 2007

Mark Davies



Mark Davies Mark relates his own experiences to question why the fear of reprisals can stop us taking action. He concludes that such fears cannot stop us acting to stop climate change.



 

Profile

  Name: Mark Davies
  Location: Britain
  Interesting Fact: Mark is writing his first book!
 

My name is Mark, I'm 28 and work in Human Resources at Selfridges in Leicester. I'm something of a campaigning virgin as the closest I've come to a march is watching it on TV and wishing I was there but being unable to because I was at work.

"It was about time I try and do something because as climate change is rapidly teaching us, we are running out of time if we want to make a difference."

Having long been a sideline campaigner, signing petitions at festivals and some general agreement on the rare moments of common sense you see on the news, I thought it was about time I try and do something because, as climate change is rapidly teaching us, we are running out of time if we want to make a difference.

I want to talk about reprisals, we all fear them to some extent, reprisals from the law if we do something bad, reprisals from our boss when we do something wrong, reprisals from our parents when we were young and did something stupid. The other week my neighbours were fighting, usually the shouting would go on for a while and then it would end with a door slamming, and some crying. This day was different as clichéd as that sounds, the shouting steadily increased in volume until it stopped and the woman screamed, a blood curdling, heart stopping scream. I had been on the verge of calling the police for the last 20 minutes but I was torn between not wanting to be seen as a busy body and fear that my dithering had cost her, her life, how would I live with myself, knowing I'd done nothing?

But it did get me thinking about reprisals and how we all fear them, my fear of reprisals could have met with a women being seriously hurt, thankfully it didn't, I believe that maybe it is time to for us shake off that fear and finally do something.

"Next time you are sitting with your friends, your mum, or even your boss ask their opinion on climate change."

What I'm proposing may not sound like much and most of you will hopefully already do so, but next time you are sitting with your friends, your mum, or even your boss ask their opinion on climate change, the possibility of setting up a car pooling system or see what efforts they make to save power and recycle at home and at work.

When we look back on our lives we see that it is the little things that matter in life and maybe if together we can all make a little change the larger ones we'll have to make later on won't seem so difficult.

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Comments

You seem to have hit the nail on the head.Last year, I liberated myself from my fear of reprisals, when my mum told me not to raise awareness for the Control Arms campaign at school. After long consideration, I did it without her finding out. I'm glad I did it but I still fear reprisals on other campaigns. We should over come our fears and stand up for what we believe.


Catriona Campbell | February 25, 2007 9:39 AM



Really identified with that article - got me thinking the biggest reprisal will be climate change itself!


James | January 31, 2007 12:13 PM




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