The World is on Fire — Now What Are You Going to Do About It?

Sovereign Serpent
Aug 25
3 min read

Let’s not sugarcoat this: the world is on fire. Literally, metaphorically, spiritually—pick your poison. Forests are burning, oceans are rising, politicians are lying, tech is numbing, and people are scrolling their way into oblivion.

And me? I’m sitting here with tears in my eyes, heart pounding, thinking: We need all hands on deck. Right now.

I know you feel it too. That restless itch. That gnawing urgency. That voice in the back of your head saying, Something has to change. Something has to give. You can’t shake it, no matter how many times you refresh your feed.

But here’s the trap we all fall into: it feels too big. Too messy. Too late. So we throw up our hands, doom-scroll, buy another gadget off Amazon, and tell ourselves that “one person can’t make a difference.”

Bullshit.

Stop Waiting for Permission

Every great shift in history started because somebody—usually a regular, exhausted, ordinary somebody—decided to stop waiting.

Rosa Parks sat down.

Greta Thunberg skipped school.

Wangari Maathai planted a damn tree.

No cape, no superpowers, no billionaire backer. Just ordinary humans who refused to look away.

So stop waiting for permission. Stop waiting for the “right” time. Stop waiting for someone else to swoop in and save us.

Nobody is coming.

But you’re already here.

Where Do We Even Start?

Start where you are. Start with what you’ve got. Start small, but start.

I call it the trifecta:

Help yourself.
Help the planet.
Help your neighbor.

If you’re doing something in each of these three categories—every single day—you’re part of the solution. Period.

1. Help Yourself (Yes, You First)

This isn’t selfish. This is survival. You can’t pour from an empty cup, and you can’t fight for the world if you’re half-dead inside.

Sleep. For real. Put your damn phone down.
Eat food that doesn’t come in plastic wrap.
Move your body. Dance, walk, lift, stretch.
Tell the truth about what you feel. Cry if you need to.
Ask for help. Radical, I know.

Strong, nourished, honest humans are dangerous to the status quo. Be one of them.

2. Help the Planet (Our Only Home)

Earth is not some abstract backdrop. It’s the air you’re breathing right now. It’s the water in your glass. It’s the soil under your feet. So treat it accordingly:

Pick up trash instead of stepping over it.
Stop acting like recycling is enough.
Plant something—anything.
Buy less crap. Seriously.
Spend time outside so you remember what you’re actually trying to protect.

We don’t need eco-saviors; we need people who give a damn in their everyday choices.

3. Help Your Neighbor (Be Human Again)

We are drowning in loneliness while bragging about how “connected” we are. Enough.

Make eye contact. Smile at strangers.
Check in on a friend without waiting for them to post a meltdown online.
Share your food. Invite people in.
Listen like you mean it.
Be a little more human today.

Connection is radical. In a world that profits off isolation, caring for each other is basically an act of rebellion.

The Tech Trap

Look—I’m not anti-tech. I’m literally using it to beam these words into your eyeballs. But let’s not pretend the screen is the same as the soul.

Scroll less, live more. Post less, touch more.Lift your eyes. Put the phone down. Remember what it feels like to actually be here.

No app is going to save us. We will save us.

A Wildfire of Small Acts

You don’t need to launch a nonprofit, lead a march, or save the whales single-handedly (though, hell yes, if you want to). Start smaller.

If you help yourself, help the planet, and help your neighbor—every day—you ignite something. You become a spark. And sparks spread.

Imagine millions of us doing it. Imagine the wildfire. Imagine the tide turning not because one hero saved the day, but because a million small acts became impossible to ignore.

That’s the revolution I’m talking about. Not someday. Today.