Letter to the Future

Lately, I have been thinking a lot about the future. About how someday, someone much younger than I might ask me the question, "What did you do?"

This child will be speaking of the moment in history happening in 2020. They will be asking what I did in regards to the climate emergency, social injustice, and our failing system of government. 

This is my answer.

Monday, October 26th, 2020

Dear Child of the Future,

I write this not knowing if you exist. I write this on a computer, to be posted on the internet. A location that might not be accessible to you if you do exist. 

We are in the midst of a global pandemic, a crest on the crashing wave of environmental instability and social unrest. I write this as a citizen of the United States. I don't know which version of this nation exists in your time. 

Before our government was formed, this land was known as Turtle Island. Our colonizing ancestors nearly purged this land of its native culture and people. They are still fighting. 

Our colonizing ancestors built their homes and family wealth through the work of slaves native to the African continent. The descendants of those slaves, and anyone who looks like them, are still fighting. 

Today, we steal our resources from Mother Earth with disregard. She is still fighting. Fighting in hurricanes, wildfires, and viruses. 

We exploit workers here and across the globe to continue building wealth, comfort, luxury, and convenience for a small percentage of the human population. Everyone is fighting. 

The global pandemic due to the virus COVID-19 has shown us how unstable and discriminatory our resource system is. Some of us knew before the disease started spreading. 

In response to the atrocities and suffering, some are fighting who never have before. There are social justice leaders emerging who went to their first protest this year. There are entirely youth-led climate movements. There are boycotts and fundraisers and mutual aid networks. There are autonomous zones popping up in cities across the US and there is a huge push to work within the system to save our democracy. Even yet, all the efforts don't seem to be enough.

As a child, I was bewildered about unjust historical events. How did the people let it get that bad? How did anyone stand for what was going on?

Today, while there are children in cages within our borders, while the list grows of black Americans murdered by our police, and while giant corporations go unchecked for the major damage they are causing our environment, I turn the question on myself.

How did we let it get this bad? We were all born into the systems of white supremacy, heteropatriarchy, and capitalism. Nobody alive chose this, but everyone alive perpetuates it. Some still believe the programming. In a few over-simplified statements: 

• White people, straight people, and men have the upper hand because they deserve it or other races/genders/sexual orientations are inferior. 
• Everyone has had the same opportunity at a good life, but your quality of life must be earned. 
• Your value is dependent on how good of a producer you are. 
• My comfort is more important than the lives of others, including non-human life and future life. 

Luckily, some others are working to unlearn that programming. But that is just the first step. 

How does anyone stand for what is going on? The truth is, even for those who really want to change our country, we are overwhelmed with obstacles. Some self-created. Mostly, we are sick in body and mind from over-nutrition and lack of exercise. We are addicted to drugs, alcohol, sex, coffee, cigarettes, social media, food, or some other type of dopamine rush. We are exhausted from having to work 40+ hours a week to make money in order to buy what we need to survive. We think we need more than we do to survive. We are spiritually starving, creatively mutant. We need each other, but can't stand our differences. Our psychological baggage contains generations of unhealed trauma. 

All of that, on top of the surreal nightmare of existing in a world that, sometimes, still pretends we can keep going in the same way. 

To our future, I promise there are some of us who are fighting for you. We are organizing our communities, building resilience, listening to each other, trying to heal, planting gardens, learning from the indigenous people of our land, loving with our whole hearts, singing when we can, admitting our mistakes, shouting out our truths, and keeping the thought of you close. 

We know the equity and sustainability we are working towards will not happen within our lifetimes. My hope is that some of it began in yours. 

With all my love,

Taylor Sirard
26 years old
Human of Earth