When people ask the question, “what could I do to help save the planet?,” it is all too often on the same level as the whiny kid being asked to take on some responsibility.
Those of you who have had, or still have, teenage children will know the kind of scenario:
Up till now it is Mum and Dad who have done everything for them, and now suddenly Mum or Dad are asking them to do something for themselves, and then we get this kind of response — “Well, what you expect me to do about it?” (I’m just a little kid), or perhaps just a blank, perplexed look. I have seen it all too often before in comment sections, where an article is pointing out the catastrophe to which we are all headed, and that we must do something about it. Then in the comments are such statements as — “What about China, and India? When they start doing something about it, then we’ll start doing something about it.” Doesn’t that, just again, remind you of that whiny kid. “But Mum, Johnny didn’t have to tidy his room, so why should I have to tidy mine? ‘S-not fair.”
Well, it seems some people never grow up.
None Will Mourn Our Passing
As little kids with doting parents, we might get raised eyebrows, and the occasional sigh, but generally get plenty of second, third, and fourth chances to get things right, and meanwhile, Mum, and Dad are there to make sure that no harm comes to us. However, there is no Mum and Dad in the sky who are going to make everything right for us little kids down here on planet Earth who just won’t ever clean up after ourselves and are making such an almighty mess of everything. No one is going to sigh, or raise an eyebrow, and then come, and put everything right for us. We are not going to get any second, third, or fourth chances. We get just the one shot, and we either get it right or we are doomed, and no one in the entire universe is going to save us or shed any tears at our sad demise.
Time to Grow Up
So, as Greta Thunberg rather bluntly points out, if adults are going to act like little kids, then it’s the little kids who have to tell their parents to start growing up. The best thing we can hope for is a lot of big brothers and sisters willing to step forward, take responsibility, and offer some leadership. Unfortunately, one of the biggest whiny kids on the planet is at the moment occupying 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., and a similar buffoon is in residence at number 10 Downing Street. Hopefully, these encumbrances to progress will not remain much longer. The solutions are all there — we just lack the political will to go for them.
Read more: Clean Technica
