“Hey, Folks – take nothing for granted on Planet Earth”

We often take things for granted – well, too often. That the sun would rise as usual every morning, bringing life to “mother earth”. That there would be animals in our green savannas and forests and lots of fish in sweet blue waters across the globe for us to hunt, catch, torture, kill and eat. That life on this planet would follow its linear course alternating day and night with no disruption.

But – who tells you that things should be that way continuously?  

My son asked me the other day: “Dad, how came dinosaurs were all extinguished?” We were watching a documentary on the same subject, on National Geographic. His preferred TV channel! And me – smiling: “Let’s listen first. I guess, we shall get a scientific explanation as the story unfolds”. On a Saturday eve, no school on the following day. So we had all the time for ourselves…

In the morning, at the water tap of his bathroom, my son noticed there was no water running to wash the hands and brush the teeth. “Dad, I guess we forgot to put on the water pump…”. A ritual at home to fill the water tanks on the top roof of the house ensuring all seven rooms and the kitchen are sufficiently supplied with water. “Oh, yes – you are right. But – imagine one day there may be no clean drinking water running from our taps. Seriously – imagine one day, all rivers were running dry, and only giant waves of salty ocean waters would submerge and sweep away everything from the earth landscape?”  

“Oh no, that would be bad!”, he replied. He looked at me astonished, as he always did when curious about something. “But, Dad, how could that even have happened?”. “Well, my dear, the only fact almost certain on this planet is – nothing is certain. Even my own certitudes”.

We sat down on the terrace, on a beautiful sunny Sunday morning. We revisited a few recent historic events, one by one. We spoke calmly, while the water tanks were being filled on the top roof of the house. We dialogued in his own language. No scientific theories – intellectual models are all over the place, and on the world wide web. So – no complicated jargons, which too often take people back to the Babel tower’s time. But just facts. Greenhouse gas emissions; Global warming; Climate change; Tsunamis; Floods; Rainforests fires; Rising sea levels; Earthquakes; Rising food, water, energy prices; population growth; migration; resource depletion; terrorism; changing disease patterns and global viral pandemic health emergencies, including COVID-19 currently terrorizing people and governments eve the richest nations of the planet. Our children understand these things very well…

Of course, while the general panorama may appear pessimistic, we are also winning some battles – even if our loses are overwhelming and often irreversible. Humanity is facing major global challenges that are trans-national in nature and require trans-institutional solutions.  

As I started reflecting on the politics of above premises, my son had already gone back to finish his morning toilet. The tanks were full on the top roof of our home. There was plenty of water again on the taps.

A gentle sun of June was gracing the morning with its mild sunshine. With a warm cup of black coffee, I was left alone to think of the human mental misery. It’s well known – most of challenges of our time are not new to humanity. What is new is their magnitude and recurrence in only a limited time span. There must be somewhere, something or a combination of things that we have done, or still are doing that accelerate what we are experiencing today. Aren’t our greenhouse gas emissions still at unacceptable rates? Isn’t the environment pushing back, causing more extreme and unpredictable weather events that we are witnessing today?  How can we make our cities good places in which to live? How can we ensure that we live well as we age? How can prevent future generations from paying the higher price of our selfishness and negligence today? 

Earlier on – I was extremely impressed by my son’s level of understanding and quick grasp of the underlying key messages to reflect on today. “Folks – do not take things for granted on this planet earth”. “We aren’t doing quite well, right now”. I know – these challenges cannot be addressed by any single government or institution acting alone. But it clearly appears that the split of opinions about undeniable facts and what must be done is mainly politically motivated.

Clearly – the world is getting richer, healthier, better educated, more peaceful, and better connected and people are living longer, yet half the world is potentially unstable. Organized civic society around the world continue to stand up for citizens’ rights against spoliation and unethical decision-making by power elites. A new generation of IT literate and interconnected-urban dwellers is on the rise against the abuse of power and socio-economic stagnation of the poor. There is hope somewhere at the end of tunnel of our globalized world.

I am almost certain – our sons and daughters around the world should be able to find their own answers to key questions raised above. But – is it right and responsible for us to seat back and watch, waiting until then? The answer is three folds: NO, NON, NEIN!

Let’s start by doing our part. There is no alternative to protecting our own environment. Every minute, counts. Every little individual action in the right direction should make a difference. And we shall see about the rest.

Think of it!