I recall as a young child that there was a hole in the sky caused by my mother’s over-use of hairspray as she tried to maintain the structural integrity of hairstyles not designed to survive the wilting Australian heat we’d recently emigrated to. It was all over the news that the ozone hole would bring danger and action needed to be taken. I blamed my mother but apparently others were involved.
As children we take things literally – I also recall the absolute fear I was numbed by when I sounded out the words of a newspaper headline that indicated the animals were now organising and would be attacking humans! “Guerrilla Violence on Streets” would be less worrying when I learned to spell lol.
In our youth, things are only as clear as they’re explained and so it is quite natural I think that this uprising of the young comes in response to the (finally) clear message that within 12 years… we reach a tipping point that makes future suffering for them, a certainty – IF we don’t act literally right now. There is finally some clarity in the words and evidence all about.. amidst the years of denial, spin and lies and that is why the young are rising.
The stern adults in government and some schools tut-tutted and tsk-ed the loss of a day at school – reprimanded them for their ‘folly’ and showed themselves to be so out of touch with reality. What part of “we made a mess of the environment with industrial processes, overuse of pesticides, polluting industries, air travel, waste dumping, plastics, indulgence, greed and ignorance” isn’t something that should have the attention of ALL of us right now? I think Greta Thunberg summed it up best with:
I walked with the #YouthStrike4Climate #SchoolStrike4Climate in Preston, Lancashire and it was one of the most inspiring actions I’ve witnessed. Nearly all the young people striking from school, were doing an action for the first time and there was a beautifully stubborn determination in each that brought optimism to the rest of us.
They may have been new to this but rebellion + youth is a match made in good places… they worked it out as they went along, got ideas for improving the next one, made connections that will reinforce the bonds and aid the planning and… what’s most important (at least in my heart) – they truly SELF-empowered as individuals. Bloody beautiful
*Meanwhile… in the corridors of power and media politics… there’s a #Brexit and a #Wall distracting those who DO know better!
As children we take things literally – I also recall the absolute fear I was numbed by when I sounded out the words of a newspaper headline that indicated the animals were now organising and would be attacking humans! “Guerrilla Violence on Streets” would be less worrying when I learned to spell lol.
In our youth, things are only as clear as they’re explained and so it is quite natural I think that this uprising of the young comes in response to the (finally) clear message that within 12 years… we reach a tipping point that makes future suffering for them, a certainty – IF we don’t act literally right now. There is finally some clarity in the words and evidence all about.. amidst the years of denial, spin and lies and that is why the young are rising.
The stern adults in government and some schools tut-tutted and tsk-ed the loss of a day at school – reprimanded them for their ‘folly’ and showed themselves to be so out of touch with reality. What part of “we made a mess of the environment with industrial processes, overuse of pesticides, polluting industries, air travel, waste dumping, plastics, indulgence, greed and ignorance” isn’t something that should have the attention of ALL of us right now? I think Greta Thunberg summed it up best with:
“Why should I be studying for a future that soon may be no more, when no one is doing anything to save that future? And what is the point of learning facts when the most important facts clearly means nothing to our society?”
I walked with the #YouthStrike4Climate #SchoolStrike4Climate in Preston, Lancashire and it was one of the most inspiring actions I’ve witnessed. Nearly all the young people striking from school, were doing an action for the first time and there was a beautifully stubborn determination in each that brought optimism to the rest of us.
They may have been new to this but rebellion + youth is a match made in good places… they worked it out as they went along, got ideas for improving the next one, made connections that will reinforce the bonds and aid the planning and… what’s most important (at least in my heart) – they truly SELF-empowered as individuals. Bloody beautiful
*Meanwhile… in the corridors of power and media politics… there’s a #Brexit and a #Wall distracting those who DO know better!
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