Wangari Maathai - The Hummingbird

Wangari Maathai and the hummingbird. How exactly does this apply to my life?

The simplest explanation would be voting. People often say that a single vote doesn't matter, that what they think doesn't matter, that they are too insignificant. Of course one vote among millions may seem insignificant, but as long as someone has the ability to vote, they should exercise it. In this sense the fire to me would represent American politics, and I honestly think that would be a good description. One does feel helpless watching discussions about laws that will affect the nation, people's jobs, and international relations.

The story also applies to really any situation where something terrible is happening, and there are observers who either refuse to do anything, or feel too insignificant to act. Obviously this situation applies to Wangari Maathai and Kenya where the hummingbird symbolizes her, and the economic and environmental problems are the fire. Other applicable situations might be found in Haiti right now, where the country has been devastated by the recent earthquake, and people feel that even 10-20 dollars in aid would not make a difference.

Africa itself has many countries that are divided by war and facing economic and environmental problems that may be symbolized by the fire. Aids affects so many in Africa, and yet so little is done about it. Oil and other natural resources cause either wars for control of the resources, or foreign companies to come and drain the land of it's resource, without little care for the environment or the people it will affect.

In terms of what people can do to be a hummingbird, as previously mentioned, vote. It takes only a small portion of time, and makes a difference. Community service is also another easy to way to become a hummingbird. In Columbus Ohio, there are many ways to get involved with community service, however getting people to show up is extremely difficult. The simplest way, is most likely to donate money to an organization that actually does good in the world.