Yesterday I came across this statement. It is from Douglas Tompkins. Until a couple of days ago, I never heard from this guy (maybe shame on me…). He was an American entrepreneur, environmentalist, agriculturist, film maker and conservationist. He founded „North Face“ and co-founded „Esprit“, but from his his very young days he had a very special relation to nature and outdoor. For a period in his life he was close to Yvon Chouinard, the founder of the outdoor company „Patagonia“.
Douglas Tompkins has a life story that is most likely second to none. His life was short, he died at age 72 during a Kajak accident. But boy, he did so many things, that I am astonished they fit just into 72 years.
Yes, he was an outstanding business man, but at one point in his life he made a radical change and decided to walk away from „standard business“. He looked for the nature in Chile and came up with unparalleled ideas, like buying massive land to make them National Parks in Chile and Argentina, and then give them back to the countries. To preserve nature and make sure that each and everybody has access to these beautiful landscapes. I can go on and on to write about him (there is a movie from Jimmy Chin about the life of Tompkins coming into theaters – must watch!!!) , but would striked me most was the sentence in the headline:
Sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul.
So simple, so true and obvious. You can be emotional, sentimental or dramatic – there should be always time for that – but if you don‘t conclude from that, if you don‘t take action from that…nothing will change. Even worth, it will continue to bother you; it will continue to gnaw you. It will not stop and if you don‘t take action it will start to be part of your soul – in a negative way. It will eat your soul and make itself the master of your soul. Take action and things will develop. Maybe not in the right direction from the very beginning – but with courage and optimism you will make the right conclusion. Simplicity is beautiful.
