Letter To MJ and Matthew

Dear MJ and Matthew,

     Recently there has been a lot of hoopla brought about by a bunch of teenage kids saying that there parents and grandparents have destroyed their chances for a future because the climate is quickly changing for the worse. Young people are holding protest across the country and around the world claiming that life on earth is nearing the end because of climate change, some say the end is coming in just a few years while others claim the end is happening in six more days. TV newscast, newspapers and social media on the internet are inundated with tearful youngsters begging the powers that be take action now to save the world from destruction.
     The other night, while looking at Facebook, I ran across a news feed depicting a young girl prominent in this movement, tears ran down her face as she angrily shouted at officials  pleading with them to do something. Seems that as I have gotten older I have become more opinionated on some subjects and sometimes have no problem letting people know how I feel, this was one of those times. I went on Facebook and posted a letter to the kids who claim that all of the ills of the world are the fault of the older generation, you probably won't see the letter, especially if the world ends in the next six days, but I feel that you should know what was said.
     To make a long story short, the claim that climate change is destroying the world and climate change is caused by excessive use of fossil fuels has been rolling around for quite some time. The first warnings came about in 1896 when scientist predicted that excess CO2 from humans would cause global warming. In 1968 it was predicted that the ozone levels were being depleted by excess levels of CO2 and causing the ice caps to melt and therefore the sea levels are going to rise to catastrophic levels flooding major portions of the earth. 1970 brought about the claim that the chemicals used in the aerosol of spray cans was creating a giant hole in the ozone layer of the atmosphere which in turn was causing world wide droughts. Burning certain types of coal caused ozone depletion, exhaust fumes emitted from driving automobiles caused depletion of the ozone. Add to this the dire predictions, from scientist, politicians, movie stars and anyone with a high degree of self importance, that life on earth will end in fifteen years, twenty five years or even next week. Accordingly life on earth as we know it was scheduled to end several times during my lifetime yet her I sit writing a letter to you guys.
     So, what is the truth behind climate change ? Well I don't know and have serious reservations that anyone else knows for certain but what I do know is that the earth has been undergoing changes since it's creation, over time whole continents have shifted their position, whole species of animals, plants, fish and birds have disappeared while others evolved.
     Since the creation of families it has been the responsibility of the parents to raise and teach their offspring how to be parents and hope that the children might turn out to be better at it than they were. I can say for sure that my grandparents hoped that my parents would be better parents than they were and inherit a better world, the same held for my parents towards me and me towards your Dad.
     Now then, is the world a better place ? Look at things this way, there was a time when most of mankind thought the earth was flat and sailors who sailed their ships too far would fall off the edge and never be heard from again. Generations later the earth was found to be not only round but it also revolved around the son, the moon revolved around the earth and controlled the tides of the seas. This new found knowledge improved man kinds world and made it a better place. One hundred years ago the horse was still a major form of transportation for many people and many households still didn't have electricity but modern inventions and advances improved the lives of people every where with each generation. We have come a long way and each generation has left it's mark, most people think for the better but not without some bitterness.
     What all this hoopla boils down to is really quite simple, at least in my mind, the problem is the older generation and the new generation. The older generation with the tools available have done the best they could then they reach an age where they can't see that any further improvement is possible, all of a sudden they long for the simple life they once had. They can't always see that the youths they created are going in the right direction. On the other hand, the younger generation rebels against all of the status quo, they have reached an age where they now know every thing there is to know. This rebellion usually last through the mid twenties to early thirties at which time the younger generation realizes they are now in the drivers seat and if anything is going to change they must work to make it happen.
     For young people to rebel is a natural consequence of maturing and each generation has gone through the process, they eventually come to a place in their life where they settle down and face responsibility and become the very thing they rebelled against. It's called the circle of life, I am my father's son, in time I have become my father and I have done the best I could to make a better life for my son just as he will do for you.
     There is nothing new here, the world has been through this crisis many times before and will endure future clashes. The world today is a better place today than it was yesterday, it is not perfect it waits for you to leave your mark on it. Good luck.



           Grandpa