Greta Thunberg, at the age of 16, spoke truth to power today at the United Nations and the world took notice. As a member of Generation X, my priorities at 16 years old were vastly different. My immediate concerns were meeting girls and obtaining a car. I also remember being into sports, music, and break dancing. Pop culture mattered to me; shaped my views on a superficial level. Vanity held court. Hair products were paramount. After all, I was an adolescent. Greta Thunberg, on the other hand, prompted by her alarm over Climate Change, has eschewed typical teen life. Instead, she’s fighting for our future.
Being a parent certainly changes one’s perspective. There’s an immediacy to world events which didn’t register with me when I was younger. Emotions now seem to cut deeper with longer lasting effects. Having kids raised the stakes. I’m listening more intently. I recognize the ripple effect decisions can make in my family’s life. Getting it right matters. Contending with the information overflow in the digital age can be disorienting, even smothering. Then someone like Greta Thunberg cuts to the chase.
How dare we, indeed. She’s not wrong. The daily crisis in our lives hasn’t been about the health of the planet. Striving for the best life meant acquiring money, power and fame. Social Media now amplifies this self-aggrandizement. Our collective self-indulgence reflects our daily existence. The downward spiral, decades in the making, opened the door for a reality television star to become President of the United States. All the while, our collective exploitation of natural resources set off a slow chain reaction in every corner of the world. Yet, we became indifferent as the Earth burned.
Much like Batman, Greta has become not the hero the world wants but the hero it needs. Her style of Activism possesses an immense power conveying a message that’s a potent combination of science and a visceral urgency for change. Time will tell if her truth resonates with the masses. It’s clear the world’s youth are listening. The question remains if humanity will meet the challenge before the point of no return.
Greta Thunberg blasts world leaders in emotional speech at U.N. climate summit: “How dare you!”
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