I printed this quote by Sister Chan Khong and carry it in my wallet:
If we just worry about the big picture, we are powerless. So my secret is to start right away doing whatever little work I can do. I try to give joy to one person in the morning, and remove the suffering of one person in the afternoon. If you and your friends do not despise the small work, a million people will remove a lot of suffering.
So I try to spread a little joy and remove a little sadness.
I don’t think the zip-lock got stronger, I think the bags got thinner and weaker. But either way, they do tear more than they used to.