Our planet is really, really old, but we’ve really only been trashing it for the last, say, sixty years…Prior to that, overpopulation and over hunting and fishing was a concern, what to do with our trash was a concern, pollution was a concern, but nothing that couldn’t be swept under the rug by big business. Big business controlled the culture, the law, the school books, everything…It still does.
Of this brief history, I can only really speak to the last
thirty years, since I was your age. Back
then, things were completely different…AND, sort of the same. When I was a kid, we did learn about the
environment in school and how of our processes would have terrible
repercussions for the future. We learned
that, but I’m not completely sure that our parents did. The difference was that when we got home,
upset about the things that we learned, we were told that there was no options,
that the scientists would save us when we really have a problem on our hands,
that the oceans were BIG and cleaned themselves, that wind and solar were not
reliable enough to replace coal, that plastic gets recycled into shiny new
plastic bottles, and at the very worst, we were laughed off as if our concerns
didn’t matter. This is true, this is
what happened to an entire generation of kids that cared and these kids are now
your parents.
To be fair though, the world was a different place back then, cars were terrible gas guzzlers, but many families only had one, and could ride bikes down quiet neighbourhood streets instead of driving. The population of the world had not reached such terrifying heights, when you walked down the streets of Niagara Falls, London or New York, you didn’t have thirty thousand people in your line of vision, and you weren’t worried about losing your kids in the masses on public transit. When you were in the grocery store, you didn’t have to give up half your wages to feed your family, even though we took our groceries home in plastic bags, most products you purchased were wrapped in paper or glass, convenience over health wasn’t a thing yet, coffee still took time to brew and your average product had fewer ingredients that you couldn’t read. Technology that came out when I was a kid could be relied upon to still be usable in ten years, machines that took phone messages for you when you were out of the house and the ability to record live television and radio were amazing inventions to us and it really made our lives better, easier, and we paid a lot for them. But most adults owned their own home, jobs were plentiful, education was still kind of optional and if you ignored certain things that those pesky scientists said about the “greenhouse effect” and “landfill sites”, it was smooth sailing for a good night’s sleep.
A couple of other things brought us to where we are right now:
Science was bought. Science needs funding, and big business has been providing a lot of funding. To say that the public didn’t know was going on is not quite true; but what studies were done, what studies were published and what studies were reported on during the evening news, was decided by people that didn’t have your Earth in mind, only money.
Politics became ridiculous. It’s said that Newt Gingritch brought a level of polarization to the government that had never been seen before but has since become common place. Suddenly no matter what one side said, the other side would say the opposite, there was no common ground, no agreement no matter how small. Agreement of any kind was seen as defeat. Politics now is a LOT of talk, and almost no action, the strong action and agreement that is REQUIRED to dig us out of this hole won’t be found in the government. Politics as well is largely funded by people that also don’t have your Earth in mind, only money.
The economy is in the toilet. Most people are in a lot of debt. Most people don’t feel good about not owning the roof over their head, the car in their driveway or even the clothes in their closet. When these things get purchased on credit, it takes years to dig yourself out of this debt. Whole countries carry absurd amounts of debt and year after year, term after term, leaders only consider means of balancing the books and passing off the debt. Somehow, environment aside, we are passing off a world to our kids where they will be under mountains of debt: more educated, but less trained, not able to buy a home, jobs are short term and can’t be relied on and all the while the division between rich and poor has never been so extreme. People are pretty desperate to keep their jobs and are not likely to make suggestions about more environmentally friendly options that cost twice as much.
Our culture has been created, in part by the companies that produce the products that fill our homes. They have created spin over the years to make people not speak up, not demand more for fear of sounding like an environmental hippie… Even when I was young, activists were often mocked by the media so that people could continue to sleep well after the evening news was done.
But not all changes have been bad. In short, technology has:
- Disrupted big business
- Created more transparency in business and government
- Created more entrepreneurs and artists that can work from anywhere with very little start-up costs
- Created a voice for that middle ground between very opposing political sides
- Opened the doors for better and better invention
- Aired people’s concerns
- Taught people how to knit, and garden, and fix their own cars
- Created a two way connection between companies and their clients
- Created communities of people that could make things happen
- Educated even the least privileged child
These things might seem normal to you now, but trust me when
I tell you that technology and the internet has changed the world in ways that
no one expected. There’s now no stopping
the online community, companies and politicians now have no choice but listen
and be held up to the standard of public opinion. People are no longer limited to news and
research broadcasted on their TVs or read in newspapers. But instead, you can seek out your own news
and your own truth.
Technology is not all good, and certainly there are a lot of negatives about the constant inter connectivity of people, but it is the hope that I cling to in very bleak times. I see that we’re on the edge of real change, and I don’t know what’s coming next. I see store after store closing down, people have so much stuff and so little money that thrift stores, homemade and homegrown are making a comeback. Learning how to make your own ketchup or dish detergent is just a click away. It’s now much easier to lead a smaller, more environmental life than it was even ten years ago.
So kids, don’t back down! Learn as much as you can, change what you can in your own life, don’t accept things the way they are because they haven’t always been like this. Keep fighting for your future! Big business is strong and will oppose you, but public opinion is gaining momentum and will back you. I will back you.
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