Everyone seems to have an opinion, but not all of our opinions are well-informed.
While recently discussing a project the city is currently undertaking, many people were eager to share what they thought should be happening, or to point out problems they saw.
This is great, it shows people are looking and want to see change.
But many didn't know what was already underway, what was within the power of the city, what kind of budgetary issues the city is facing and how other groups might already be engaged to try and tackle the issues the were concerned about.
This is not to suggest people shouldn't question things their government is doing —those are great conversations to have and a big part of the "Think globally, act locally" way to make a difference.
It is just that there are a lot of things going on behind the scenes we can't all keep on top of, so questions are often a good place to start, not the end of the conversation.
For example, at a recent meeting looking at one of a number of initiatives to help with recruitment and retention of professionals in our city, women were sharing their knowledge, skills, networks and creative ideas for ways to help improve life in our city.
So many people in our community work hard on projects like this, yet so few people know about a lot of this behind the scenes work to help better where we live. Just because it isn't something visible like constructing a building, doesn't make it less important to the foundation of a city.
This is an example of how there is so much information out there, and so much going on, we can't all keep up with everything in our growing city, especially if we are relying on "the algorithm" to choose. But what are we supposed to do?
We can't be on top of everything, but we can be open to learning about things, to stepping outside our own bubble.
To begin with, when we have the opportunity to inform ourselves on things we want to have an opinion on, we should do so.
Go to meetings, read news from primary sources, not social media and ask city staff questions.
This isn't always easy, especially when we see something dramatic posted on social media and we just want to react.
But you know what is better than getting mad? Getting things done.
If you really want to see change, get out and get involved.
Or at least inform yourself before you vent your frustrations by hitting "share" on a negative rant, before you know the rest of the story.
