Earth Day and youthful survivors
This Earth Day I am struck by two very different instances of the power among youthful survivors. While adults all over the globe bemoan the frightening state of our planet (our schools, our nation, our economy…), I watched a team of elementary kids in Portland Oregon who clearly know the power to survive and thrive. Their webcast from their school garden, both the more formal presentations and the informal Q/A at the end, bears witness to their ASSUMPTION that they will make positive changes in the world around them. They are experts at composting, water conservation, organic vegetables, and native plants of their area. More importantly, they are experts at being in charge of something. They know they –and their garden– will survive because they feel empowered and knowledgeable. They are not afraid to ask questions when they don’t know something because they trust the adults around them to help them look for themselves, not tell them what to see.
At the same time, a tiny newborn at the opposite end of the country continues to defy the odds, surprising the doctors as she wards off infection, remains stallwart through major heart surgery at birth, and lies completely unable to talk to us except with the very wise eyes of a three-week-old. Her parents’ blog tells her story and shares photos of those eyes. She knows that she will survive, and SHE is in charge, in spite of all the brilliant medical assistance the adults give her.
Somewhere around puberty we learn doubt. As survivors come of age, our power lessens. We hear more and more of others’ power and increasingly subvert ourselves to others’ judgments. This Earth Day– and in our schools — let the message be about the young survivors. Their hands cradle any new growth they can nurture. They are simply excited to have the chance to share the experience with us, through those very wise eyes.
