The Kids are Alright

 

I'm not going to link to Amanda Gorman's poem or copy it here - if you type her name in, you'll find plenty of places to access it, either her reciting it or the text of it.

Over the years I have seen many young people do amazing things, from Severn Cullis-Susuki and her speech in Rio de Janeiro a very long time ago now, until today with Autumn Pelletier and Grete Thunberg advocating for the environment and climate.

For every young person doing something stupid and thoughtless, there are others who are working to improve their communities, help others, paying attention to global matters.

Young people are not uniformly any one thing, just like adults.  They have different lives, different perspectives, different ways of dealing with what they are going through.

A friend posted today that she has now reached the stage of her life where her vote will be based on what is good and beneficial for young people.  I made that decision a long time ago.  I just happen to live in a place is 'conservative' politically and never felt like my vote counted for much.  Did I ever vote differently?  No.  I have always voted the more 'liberal' candidate.  It felt pointless at times, but as far as I was concerned, if I didn't vote, I didn't get my right to bitch card.

But I have paid attention.  I have seen the work of various people trying to make things better, from Rachel Carson to David Susuki.  I have not agreed with some of the groups and what they were doing, but I also recognize that the population is not black and white, but many shades of grey.  That some groups may be doing harm elsewhere even when they were trying to do good in one sector.

Some people who comment on things like politics assure me that the arc always bends towards justice.  That pendulums swing back and forth, but always towards more liberal, more inclusive attitudes.

I won't likely live long enough to see that happen, entirely.  I certainly thought, as a 20 year old, that we would be there by now.  Instead the pendulum took a abrupt swing 'back' and things were not getting 'better', more liberal.  And in many ways, still are not.

So while the US seems to have begun to right their boat, we, as a people, a world, are still in a precarious state.  Much work needs to be done.  If we are to bring peace and safety to all.

Canada is not innocent in this.  We need to do more to be inclusive for all, regardless of skin colour.

We need to examine our beliefs.  Pay attention to our political leaders.  And, when they show us who they are, believe them.  

Peeling back the layers of white privilege is a lifetime work for me.  But the kids are alright.