COVID-19 virus is radically disrupting our society and our economies, globally. It is hoped by many that it will also influence how we manage our environment.
The following arrived from someone the age I was when young and bold. That was 30 years or more ago. They were asked why they are cavalier about this virus and their response is a valid perspective we ignore at our peril.
We have been begging people to listen to the scientists and help heal the planet; to give us a fighting chance. Now that a virus is threatening them, suddenly they are all about science. This will not be an isolated incident for us. Our futures are bleak. They don’t care, but suddenly I should give up my freedoms for them. No. We don’t care if we get the virus. If this one doesn’t take us out the next one will. When they start caring about our futures I’ll start caring about theirs. They don’t. Their greed never ends and we are simply losing hope. Our generation is screwed either way. Most of us know having kids is not in our future. It is unfair to bring a child on to a collapsing planet. If you think births rates are dropping now, brace yourselves, we are not having kids. We make suicide jokes for fun. They have stolen our futures, so you’ll have to excuse us if we don’t bend over backwards to protect theirs. Sure, I’ll stay away from my grandma for a couple of weeks, but ask me of I give a single f*** about this. I dare you. Now go call me entitled and protect those profits and leave us alone.
Today science brings us the truth about the impact of our behaviours. We are at tipping points in personal and planetary health.
The younger generations bear the greater impact of our climate warming activity and may be spreading the virus through resistance to adhere to government imposed social distancing. Their vitality may be less impacted with symptoms, or not, but we steal their future. Most of the commentators, politicians, business and media leaders are the older generations that may bear the greater consequence of this disease. We bear the greater impact through fear and death and loss of capital value and health service overload. We are the hoarders of groceries and wealth and the primary beneficiaries of our unsustainable economic systems.
Despite some leaders attributing blame, this is nugatory and divisive at a time we need community.
Should we consider with more compassion our impact on the young? Will we leave them a good or bad legacy? Shall we older warmers agree to limit our activities like we are asking the young to limit their society, their futures, their families and dreams, aspirations and hope?
This is an emergency for us all be it days or decades, the present or the future.
This viral moment is a chance and a choice to pivot our collective behaviours and provide some global coherence to how we manage this planet we call home.
The old and the young. Us and them. The individual and the species. The impact of othering. The people and the planet.
It is the end of the world as we know it. The world has changed. It is the start of the world as we make it. Today it is a choice for us all to act. Collective action in pursuit of the lost commons.
If we can see beyond our individual discomforts, our loss of the old and what we hold dear. This is a unique and defining opportunity for our species.
We choose our future and it is time to decide.
