WHAT HAVE WE DONE TO OUR GRANDCHILDREN?


Maybe it’s just me, but as I watched my six-year-old grandson stand with his back against the wall to measure his growth in the past several months, I experienced conflicting emotions.  It had been a few weeks since I last saw him, and it seemed he had grown a foot when I first saw him running into the room where I was sitting and visiting with my daughter.  While knowing that his growth was an accomplishment and a reason to celebrate, I felt sadness that time kept racing by.  Wasn’t it yesterday when I flew to Seattle from South Florida and held my beautiful, precious grandson in my arms less than 24 hours after his birth?

 

After having conflicting feelings about Patrick’s growth progress, I wondered what his world would be like in another 12 years or so when he’s fully grown.  I’ll be 84 by then if I’m still alive.  My life will almost be over, but my abject concern and sorrow lie in the future for my grandchildren. Will our country continue to slide into an oligarchy with an authoritarian, one-party rule that does not represent “we, the people,” and shuts out people of color or those with opposing views?  Will more children's lives be lost at the hands of someone with an assault weapon while others are burning and banning books?  Will our carbon emissions and pollution reach an even worse level of damaging our planet?  Will the rising water levels on our coasts destroy our major cities?  Will the extremes in weather continue to wreak havoc?  What happens when our water supply and food sources become depleted? 

 

I want to enjoy watching my grandchildren grow and remain in the here and now.  They bring me extreme joy each minute that I spend with them. Being in the present has its benefits, and I try with all my might not to worry about their future, but I have no doubt that what they are facing as adults will be much different than what I experienced in my lifetime.  Deep inside lies an overwhelming sadness at what they will face as adults.  Maybe they’ll be part of the generation that repairs the damage my generation and the generations before me have done to our country and planet.  Therein lies the only hope, but it’s a huge burden we’re passing on to future generations.



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