Happiness apps: The solution to my millennial malaise?
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Everyone who knows me knows that I am one cynical cookie. But recent events
in my personal life have put a serious strain on my general well being, so
I wa...
6 years ago
Hey Amanda!
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure that the link works.
Chris
In the meantime: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqrBzuOwGqQ
ReplyDeleteThe first thing that came to mind was "WOW, what a skilled public speaker!"
A couple key elements in her talk really stuck out to me as things that still need to be realised today. First, her statements on breaking the ideology of being able to fix what we've done and will do, through technology, were a wake-up call. "Don't fix it if it ain't broke," as the good ol' Southern quip goes. Sounds a bit more labor intensive to be conscious of how we are hurting the environment, still break it, and then scramble to fix it. I agree that yes, it is easy to say and much more difficult to do, but these are the kinds of notions that we need to change. We need to be constantly reminded that what we are doing is going to come back and bite us.
She also spoke about urgency. We need a sense of urgency behind our decisions. It's nice that over the past years, people have been taking steps to be greener without legislation forcing them to do so. Many people are becoming more conscious in this department. But top-heavy politics are still slow to manoeuvre about political, social, or geographical lines. This urgency needs to transcend these boundaries and really get some work done!
Now I'm not claiming I know how to do any of this, but from my small, individual perspective, I feel that these two elements need to be adopted into all of our lives. I'd like to believe that a cultural overhaul like this is something that begins with each person. We need to stop breaking it and stop breaking it now.
I couldn't find when during the conference this speech was given. I'd be interesting to speculate if it made a difference...
I also felt that the young girl spoke very well. She presented her ideas in the speech with such eloquence and maturity. More adult individuals should be as passionate about the issues she mentioned. More particularly, people who are in position of power should make more effort to help solve these issue. I agree with the elements she mentioned in her speech. If we did embrace the outlook of what we are doing now is going to eventually come back and bite us, it will definitely benefit our society in the long run. One aspect which particularly stuck out to me was the one regarding urgency as well. I do agree with you that more political work needs to be done. Politics play a key part in our society. Without more urgent input from it, I really don't see the necessary work for change to be in our future.
ReplyDeleteThis was a very impressive speech, coming from a very impressive girl. I can't believe this group of girls, barely preteen, set out to Brazil to talk to the UN about environmental issues and the urgency for wastelessness. Its sad to think that in addition to puberty, children of this age now must worry about eating, breathing, or just existing in cancerous material. This was.. in a way.. heartwarming to watch, because I felt very pressured growing up, thinking about all the animals that I loved so much in my Ranger Rick magazine, just hoping they would exist forever. I was so angry and apathetic about the future, always hearing that we wouldn't have clean water forever and all that jazz. But she and her friends made a point to make our voice heard, the future generations to come. So Kudos to that team!!
ReplyDeleteWithin 5 minutes, she was able to make some solid points, some more obvious than others. I too felt a need for urgency, but its the little things that made me shift in my chair. Just hearing her speak of some her fears, like the cancerous fish and the ozone, which is a real DAMPER on childhood. Chopping down the delegates, was very successful, as you could see as they watched her uninteruptedly. For they too are people, sons, daughters, and perhaps parents and/or brothers and sisters. Values we learn in Kindergarden, I remember the woes of learning to share vividly, are seen to be common sense. But she points out that we actually do not like to share, nor we equal others misfortunes with our own. This was a rather clever comment, showing the hypocrisy of politics and globalism. For we who have most share little. Lastly, it was comforting to hear her speak of the world as a family, 5 billion--going strong. Coming from a 13 year old Canadian, this is very refreshing. Because the sooner we feel that One Love, the sooner we will live with more respect for Our Earth.
I am going to have to agree- this girl is a phenomenal speaker. I took a speech class last semester, and not even I could speak that well by the end. That aside, she has a very valid point. The world for our children is going to be a much different place if we continue to live the way we do. I learned an interesting statistic a while ago, that there were only 3 billion people on the planet when my mother was born. There are over twice that many people alive today. That statistic is just mindboggling for me.
ReplyDeleteAs for the speaker, while she does have her very valid point, she also sounds as if she is afraid of living. She mentions how walking out into the sun scares her- I may be reading a little bit into her words, but knowledge is power, and you can’t be afraid all the time. Even if you can get skin cancer or some intense toxins from the food you’re eating, I don’t know. It’s just my philosophy I guess, to live life and not be afraid of everything. Also, she sounds as though she is oversimplifying the solution, and it sounds as if we should be ashamed of ourselves for having advances that other countries do not. Technology is a beautiful thing, if harnessed correctly, though she is right that we abuse it. And I highly doubt that if those children she spoke of got a taste of the capitalist poison, they’d still be as open arms as they say.
But overall, I agree with what she had to say. I wonder how she got so informed of these issues at 13? Maybe it’s Canadian children, but my sister is about the same age, and all she is concerned with it shopping… says a lot about our culture.
I remember watching this video when it first aired on television and I remember talking about this for days!!! I am in complete awe that the people at the conference did not stand and clap at the closing of her speech because I definitely wanted to shout and cheer from my own couch. I was and still am extremely impressed and proud that children are not naive to society and that they are unaware. My favorite section of her speech was when she discussed what adults teach us in school and what adults actually do in the real world. It is completely true. I have seen mothers telling their children in stores to say thank you but when the mother walks away she fails to say thank you herself for assisting her with her purchase. This 13 year old girl really made me look at myself and realize that I do not know nearly as much as this girl does and really made me see how much society has influenced me. I now watch the News almost everyday and try to read the newspaper as much as possible and I have tried to be eco-friendly. i am glad that there are children in this world like her who are aware and are concerned for not only their future but their own childrens' futute. She is right...the majority of the adults now were not concerned with the environment at that age and now trying to fix things while at the same time breaking things. "If you don't have a solution to something stop breaking it." That was my favorite comment :-)
ReplyDeleteI agree with all three of you. Her eloquence and understanding of the issues was phenomenal. I was proud to see that she realized the brevity of the situation, and that she was encouraging her generation (and all generations) to make a difference. Janice, the way she called the world a family felt heartwarming to me too. The sooner we realized just how interconnected we all are, the sooner we will all stand up and take responsibility for our actions. Summer, That statistic also astounds me each time I hear that. Our population crisis has led to most other crises. It has exhausted our planet. Elizabeth, I also really liked that comment ("If you don't have a solution to something stop breaking it."). She was very enlightening and if they say 'children are our future', then I am very glad that she is a part of our future!
ReplyDeleteFirst and Foremost, she played the child card tremendously. I feel like it made a much more impactful message seeing an evnvironmentally conscious well spoken 13 year old delivering a small dose of wake up and smell the coffee. Her underlying tone of urgency was best described with her quotes, "I have dreamt of seeing...but now I wonder if they will even exist for my children to see." Furthermore, she adds insult to injury with, "did you have to worry of these when you were my age?" You can see the polititans face drop into realization after that statement. Above all, with her "if you don't know how to fix it, stop breaking it" puts the icing on the cake.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, I think she pushed the fact that"[she is] only a child" a little too much. It seemed like a crutch that she continually fell on and insulted the comittee she was adressing, just a little. Conversely, it brought to light the idea that even the younger generation is conscience now and there is no more hiding the truth. No more passively handing the problem off for the next generation to fix.
Adriana said...This girl is inspiring. I never would have had the courage to stand up in front of UN delegates with the ferocity that she demonstrates in this video. I applaud her courage and determination. I couldn't help but notice the delegates staring in aw at the message of urgency. I loved her message and the power of her young voice echoing though the microphone was something special. I hope that the delegate realized the responsibility they have for the future of humanity and how knowledgeable our generation is on global issues concerning the earth. Norma i feel you on Ranger Rick lol but how about captain planet "he's our hero going to take pollution down to zero." We can't wait on a superhero to fly in and solve our problems. We have to demand change from our elected officials and that is exactly what this young girl is doing....demanding. I'm sick of asking and begging for change. That is why hearing this girl talk about the massive amount of money that we send killing our brothers in war when we could be using it to feed our sisters and brother. I also agree with what Norma pointed out about being one family and how no about of boarders will ever change that we are 5 billion strong.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the girl was very well spoken and very brave. I think one of the main things that a speech given by this young girl gives is teach children that they can make a difference. I had never seen this video before now but I think this should be an example given in elementary school of what one person can do, even if you are a child. Children are aware of these problems and they are scared. However, beyond recycling and turning out the lights, I don’t think that many feel they can do much else about it. She should definitely be a model and inspiration for younger generations.
ReplyDeleteAs far as motivational/persuasive speeches go, this girl really delivered. In my opinion, every argument was phrased just right and every word was toned in such a way to effectively guilt or inspire or whatever. Aside from that, this video got me wondering about the longevity of environmental issues. It is amazing to think that 18 years after such a moving speech was delivered, the same issues are just as much, if not more, a plague to our environment. I realize that change does not occur overnight and environmental change in particular demands a huge is amount of time, resource, money, etc. However, I still wonder how many years down the road can the same exact speech be made. 20? 50? 100? I wonder if the american population will lose interest with the speeches, with the "going green" fad. It seems at times that the so called green revolution is already on its way out.
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