The Next Greatest Generation?

Time Magazine’s Person of the year is the diminutive 16 year-old girl from Sweden, Greta Thunberg. She has come upon us quickly. She is the face of her generation.  She is also a mirror to previous generations, the mirror which asks us who are we?

There are about 14,000 climate scientists. For years they have been in consensus and sometimes even loud, fierce consensus. Greta’s generation sees themselves as the inheritors of our public ignorance, or worse yet our apathy, or even worse yet our predatory relationship with the planet we exploit. The planet they will soon inherit. 

The Greta generation has before them a task even greater than our Greatest Generation who had to deal with the  Depression, the same old revered generation of Americans who set aside personal dreams and sometimes sacrificed their lives fighting the enemies of civilization during the Second World War.

If you think I am exaggerating, here is one result of our climate inaction: The first half of 2019 saw extreme weather creating 7 million displaced people. These refugees are expected to rise to hundreds of millions in the coming decades as drought, flooding, and sea-level rise continue to uproot mankind.

My generation, the baby boomer generation, will not be recognized with accolades. In large number we sit, even now, immobilized.  Our generation cannot escape the judgment history will bequeath upon us. It is too late to redeem us as a generation. But it is not too late for us, as individuals, to be remembered well. There are ways to deal with our worries while simultaneously contributing to changing the path we are on.

Greta was wracked by depression generated by worry. Being a sharp student of science, she knew the consequences of inaction would imperil the animal kingdom with extinctions. She knew many peoples, especially the poor, will lead lives of misery if we continue to power our civilization with fossil fuels.  She also knew our politicians have been, at best, unimaginative and, at worst, cowardly when addressing the climate storm on the horizon.

She eventually processed the problem like a wise adult would. There are ways to deal with our worries while simultaneously contributing to our children’s success. Here is how the clinical psychologist Gary Bakker tells to analyze and process worry.

First, ask yourself if the problem really matters. If you answer NO, stop worrying. Greta’s problem, unfortunately, is also humanity’s biggest problem, one they cannot ignore. And, I hope you answer “Yes”, for their sake.

Second, is the thing you are worrying about likely? If NO, stop worrying. No need worrying about something unlikely to happen, right? In the 1950’s and early 1960’s our information on global warming was sketchy. Since that time the scientists went from pretty sure, to confident, to “no need to predict it anymore, it is obviously happening”.

Third ask, is there something I can do about it?  If there is nothing a person can do about a problem, worry is wasted energy. But, if there is something that can be done, then the logical thing to do is wisely research it, talk about it, and then act to solve the problem. Meaningful action, even small actions with seemingly small insignificant acts, started by little people, can start to solve a problem and heal their psyche. 

Greta’s first act was to sit alone outside the Swedish Parliament with a sign that said, “School strike for climate”. At one time she was a depressed kid feeling hopeless. Greta is now recognized as the mobilizer of a world-wide movement. Are her worries gone? No, but her depression is.

The Manhattan Park Avenue Methodist Church posted a quote from Time Magazine’s Person of the Year, “Once we start to act, hope is everywhere.”

Now a whole generation, our kids, are starting to act and to place hope behind the slogan, “Unite behind the Science”.

Next week, let’s look at the importance of first followers and family support.