I have always been an optimist, just always believed that I could get so many things done on my own. I was so driven and always thought I could change the perception and actions of people around me and make them see reasons why the environment should be conserved. I assumed I could do it all on my own, I imagined that all I needed to do was excel in college , polish my communication skills, volunteer for non-governmental organizations, all of which I did, side note, I am a serial volunteer.
I forgot the place of working together with people, I ignored the importance of collaborative networking, I shook off the idea of one can chase a thousand and two can chase ten thousand, I am telling you this today because nobody really succeeds being alone in the real world, You will always need people, when you get tired of the course you are driving, you need a support system they will say!
Do I really need people? Affirmatively I am saying yes, I need people, the world showed me I will always need people. Today I am telling you I need you, to help drive the course of environmental sanity, I need you to be conscious of how you participate in any unsustainable action, I need you to be careful when disposing your waste, I need you to recycle, I need you to know that a plastic bottle in an ocean is a threat, I need you to stand up wherever you can for wildlife, I need you to know that the earth is more valuable than money, I need you to know that there is no planet B, I need you to always remember to be a part of the solution and not the pollution, I need you to be conscious of nature, I need you to know that we don’t have to wait till the whole world is in chaos to take actions for the environment.
And I also need you to need people, because those people will also need people and together we will make a significant change!
Thank you for your time.
I am Adekunle Adeyinka, a graduate student at Tennessee State University.
AGSC 5110 Research Methods 