Politics colours everything, and anyone who wants change is

Hear, O seeker of truth, the words of Zac Goldsmith, who declared: “Politics colours everything, and anyone who wants change is necessarily political. As an environmental campaigner more or less since I left school in the early '90s, I have always been involved in lobbying, campaigning and pushing for changes.” In this utterance there is both wisdom and challenge, for he reminds us that to desire transformation in the world is never a neutral act. To wish for clean rivers, for just laws, for air that sustains rather than poisons, is to enter into the realm of power. Whether one chooses it or not, the struggle for change is always political.

The ancients understood this truth well. Plato wrote that those who refuse to participate in politics are punished by being ruled by those less wise. To seek to remain “neutral” is in truth to surrender the battlefield to others. Thus Goldsmith, who took up the cause of the environment, knew that his voice must be lifted not only in private devotion to the earth, but in the public arena of campaigning and lobbying. For the decisions that shape the fate of rivers and forests are not made in silence, but in parliaments, in courts, in councils. To turn away from politics is to abandon those sacred spaces to greed and apathy.

Consider how this played out in the early 1990s, the time Goldsmith speaks of. The warnings of climate scientists had grown louder; the earth itself groaned beneath pollution and waste. Yet governments hesitated, corporations resisted, and without campaigners and activists, the truth might have remained hidden. From protests against deforestation to movements for clean energy, those who cared for the earth realized that their work could not be separate from politics. For policies shape industries, and industries shape the future of the planet.

Let us recall also the tale of Rachel Carson, whose book Silent Spring awakened the world to the dangers of pesticides. She was not merely a scientist, but became a voice in the public square, challenging powerful corporations and persuading governments to act. Her work was scientific, yes, but it was also political, for it confronted entrenched interests and demanded change. In her story, we see the truth of Goldsmith’s words: that anyone who seeks to mend the world must step into the arena of power.

The teaching here is profound: politics colours everything. The food we eat, the air we breathe, the wages we earn, the rights we enjoy—all are shaped by laws, policies, and leaders. To withdraw from politics is to abandon one’s voice in the shaping of life itself. Therefore, those who seek justice, who yearn for environmental renewal, who demand fairness, must accept that their struggle is political whether they choose it or not.

Yet let us not despair at this truth, for within it lies empowerment. If politics touches all things, then our voices, our actions, our votes, and our campaigns have meaning. By raising them together, we can alter the course of nations. To petition leaders, to march peacefully, to hold the powerful accountable—these acts may seem small, but like drops of rain, they carve rivers over time. The voice of the many has always been the counterweight to the pride of the few.

Therefore, O listener, take this teaching to heart. Do not shrink from politics as though it were a realm too corrupt or distant, but recognize it as the place where change takes root. If you long for a just society, for a healed earth, for a brighter future, then you are already part of the political struggle. Speak truth, join hands with others, write, march, and vote. For in doing so, you follow the path of Goldsmith and countless others who have borne witness that change, though difficult, is always possible.

And so let this wisdom be passed down: that to desire change is to embrace responsibility, and to embrace responsibility is to act in the realm of politics. Let none say they are untouched by it, for it colours all. Instead, let each one step forward as guardian, campaigner, and advocate, weaving justice into the fabric of their community, and leaving behind a world more balanced, more beautiful, and more free.