Youth and vision

 

During the lockdown, when I couldn't go anywhere, I still had books to take me to places both near and far and to different times, both in the past and the future. Some of the books, however, kept me grounded in our present times. They kept me focused on issues that face us as people today around the world.

One of those books is a small book of just 105 pages, titled No One is Too Small to Make a Difference. It is a book of the speeches by Greta Thunberg, the 18-year-old from Sweden who has literally traveled the world to remind us that it is imperative that we put our effort into reversing climate change. She puts it in the starkest terms possible: "Our house is on fire." When the house is on fire, you don't use the garden hose to try to put it out; you use the best resources available. You put the most energy and effort into saving your house.

The same is true for our precious earth, she argues. She describes it as a "great and complicated challenge." But it must be faced because the future of our Earth home is at stake. And there is only one such Earth home. If we cause our planet to become uninhabitable, we have nowhere to go. There is no contingency plan.

She discusses the climate crisis with energy and passion. And not only does Greta Thunberg write and speak about the climate crisis, she also has a foundation, called "The Right Livelihood Foundation."  It provides financial support for organizations that are working at finding a solution to the climate crisis. 

I recommend Greta Thunberg's book. It is very thought provoking, and it's a call to action on behalf of our beautiful earth home.