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Things are changing. Cuddly kids turn into recalcitrant teenagers, teenagers turn into political activists, politicians turn into parodies of themselves. Innocence turns into bewilderment. Trust into blame. Who’s to blame? It doesn’t really matter. Blame is passive, it’s stuck in the past and the only thing it creates is defense, so it’s a waste of time. The teenage generation is smarter than that. They act and change the rules. That’s brave, that’s smart. And that’s the only chance we have. For the first time in my life I feel really anxious. Because I cannot take anything for granted anymore: Food, water, peace, democracy, the very fundaments of the life I am used to are in danger. Things become unforseeable and uncontrollable: Temperatures go up, glaciers are melting, sea levels are rising. Politicians repeat Nazi propaganda and get elected. ‘Learning from the elders’ does not apply anymore. The elders can learn a thing or two from the young. Getting up from the the sofas of our comfortable lifes, using our voices to shout for change. It’s about time. If the ones we gave our voices and votes to don’t act the way we want them to, we do it ourselves and we just start wherever and however we can. In our homes, in our jobs, with social media, with our friends, with a button, with a banner. That’s what I learned from the young. Go out, do it and talk about it. Make the change happen. Change is our chance.
Olivia buys most of her clothes in second hand stores, she stopped eating meat 2 years ago and tries to avoid waste wherever she can. She started a sustainability work group at her school and attends climate strikes whenever she can.
