Alternate Universe

Dear Future Generation,

Are you a relative of mine? Perhaps my Great Great Grandchild? If so then something dramatic has happened in my lifetime. Hopefully what happened is a global awareness of the destruction we are doing to our planet. Actually, it would have to be more than awareness. It would have to be activism and change. Awareness is not enough to halt, or reverse the damage that has been done.

The reason these changes must have occurred is because without them you would not exist. Tomorrow I turn 28 years old. Many of my friends are having children and starting families. At this point in my life I know I do not want to bring any children into this world because I feel it would be passing on a burden. Do I really want to have a tiny person try to thrive on this planet, while the earth is weeping?

Perhaps the Paris Climate Talks really do spawn action and something amazing does happen. Maybe I could have or adopt a child, and not worry about whether the air is poisoning their lungs, or that a shower curtain lined with plastic could give them cancer. It would be great to not have to worry about taking the family dog to the river, where they could potentially eat toxic algae, which is blooming because of climate change.

If we could halt climate change, the future sounds great. Maybe the change is already happening. President Obama recently rejected the Keystone Pipeline Project, that has to count for something, right? I really hope we can all participate in saving our planet, so that your future can exist.

Love and Peace,

Aisha