The time has come to question ourselves as citizens about our own actions and the legacy we are leaving behind.

Sent on
October 20, 2015
by
Renu Shah
Send Your Own Message

Dear Tanuj,

As I stood gaping in awe at the glaciers at the Everest Base Camp, I felt a sudden pang of pain in my heart. I wondered if you would witness what I was witnessing. The glaciers are melting bit-by-bit everyday and in my moment of happiness, I was enveloped by a strange sadness.

The time when you returned from your trek to Nanda Devi in the Himalayas, I realized how much you enjoy trekking. Your passion for climbing, trekking and riding makes me constantly worry about the world that I, as your mom, will leave behind for you and your children.

It’s not just the future that worries me but also the present, which is equally appalling. India is a beautiful country and we have reduced its streets, rich cultural heritage and natural beauty to an open garbage site. Sometimes I actually wonder if we are so stupid that we cannot see the result of our own actions, or if we have developed apathy towards yet another important issue. The time has come to question ourselves as citizens about our own actions and the legacy we are leaving behind.

As I write these lines, I am becoming aware of the small things I can change about myself. Changing individual actions will lead to the reduced collective demand for a lot of things including recycled cheap plastic bags and bottled water. I was heartbroken to find these plastic bags and bottles thrown around even in the Everest region. I feel that we, as a generation, need to articulate our thoughts more crisply and take responsibility for our actions.

I love you a lot and don’t want to leave behind these footprints for you and my grandchildren.

With love,
Mum

Share on:
 
Send Your Own Message

More Messages to the Future

 

Dear Tomorrow,

I promise to buy organic food and run more and bike more! (I could use the exercise.)
 

Dear Tomorrow,

The only way to survive it, even if you don’t feel like you’re winning, is to keep your hands on the rope.
 

Dear Finley,

I wonder if in 2050 we will be looking at a future where fear from the changes at hand has caused people to hate rather than love and provide hope. Perhaps in that world we will we no longer comprehend the biblical texts in a meaningful way. Will climate change be the end of the epoch of God?
 

Dear Donatella,

We ran through the woods laughing, crying, and living.
 

Dear Kids,

I know it’s long past time to wake up. You deserve a future in which drought, famine, and war are not all your children ever know; the choices my generation makes now will determine your future.
 

To my children,

I hope that the fervor that is building continues to build and spread and that the world has made progress to minimize the effects of our past actions.
 

Dear Tomorrow,

I promise to drive less and walk more.
 

Dear friends,

Rather than exploit it, destroy it, poison it, why don’t we just enhance the beauty of it, guard it, and love it?
 

My Mini & Lou,

Since I first sat down with these words, a pandemic has erupted. Racial violence is reaching a fever pitch and protests are raging across the nation. It feels like the planet is succumbing to entropy, slipping further into chaos. But I write to you from a time of shifting tides.
 

Dear Samuel, Willa, and Ben,

To the core of my being, and only through the power of community, I will honor the voices of the youth who are pleading, “Don’t burn my future.” Samuel, Willa, and Ben, your little voices I know, will join that chorus soon enough.
 

Annalu minha filha amada,

Espero de coração que, no futuro, você possa olhar para trás e se orgulhar muito dos pais que teve.
 

Chers Enfants,

Chers Enfants,
View All Messages

Send Your Own Message