The Great Unless

Speaking with a friend the other day, we were both lamenting the inaction of many young people to get really involved in the fight against climate change. (In fact, I even wrote another blog about the lack of young people showing up a few weeks ago.) As we were talking, my friend questioned why the youth don’t feel urgency around this issue, why they aren’t willing to make sacrifices now knowing what the future holds if we don’t take action. And my response was: “I’m sure that the kids, just like the adults, are fucking terrified and just want to live while they can.” And it struck deep for both of us as we realized how scary and big this problem must seem to millennials and “Generation Z”. Facing this issue is overwhelming for us, but it’s existence-shattering-scary for most young people who take the time to really look at it. The “fight or flight” response kicks in when we are faced with a threat and, evolutionarily, if we are facing an opponent that we have little to no c...

(Disclaimer: I love lots of "old white people" and if you are one of those old white people who is working to make the world a better place, then my thanks to you; just know that you are in the minority. This post, however, is directed at (mostly) young people. And is about showing up. Or NOT showing up, as the case may be.) My timeline is full of people in my generation and younger complaining about the state of the world. Complaining about the sexism. Complaining about the racism. Complaining about the fascism. Just generally complaining. But you know what isn't full? Attendance at volunteer trainings. The Statehouse on advocacy days. The inboxes of our state legislators. Campaign offices. The freaking ballot boxes on election day. You know who does occasionally show up? Who does make the decisions on actions and bills? Old (mostly white) people. Are you okay with old white people determining the future of our country and our world? Because that, my friends, is wh...