“The March!”
Friday, Tom and I marched for Planet Earth in Vancouver, B.C. Never before have I taken part in a protest. This time I had to participate. Our climate is in crisis. Denial means death.
Joining the protest wasn’t easy. A cold wind swirled around us on our uphill walk and half hour wait for the bus. People poured past us as we limped down two flights of steps to the sky train. We let two trains go by. They were beyond full. We wedged ourselves into the third train, with Tom barely clearing the door. Only two stops, and we joined the sea of humanity flowing up the escalators to the exit turnstiles. We plodded along like worker ants towards city hall. There were speeches we couldn’t hear. A protest band played.
We waited, restless, until the crowd began to flow down onto the street towards the bridge. We walked. We chanted. We talked with young, middle aged and seniors. All of them worried, fearful of the future, determined to make a difference.
Our march was typically Canadian – full of passion, but governed by good will and good manners. My eyes filled with tears as I listened to young people crying out for change, demanding that our government take action. I was proud.
Our youth are giving us leadership. We have to keep the pressure on. My message to all of you, my readers is: God has given us an amazing world. It’s our job to care for it. We must do everything we can as individuals. We need to vote for leaders who will co-operate with one another, even step over party lines. OUR VOTE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
People of all faiths need to PRAY. Pray for our planet. Pray that God will keep us motivated. Pray that we will let go of selfishness and support efforts to save the world even though it will cost.
Pray that our leaders, both governmental and business, will have the courage to make policy and pass laws that will stop this climate change.
We need to SPEAK OUT. A sixteen-year-old girl has mobilized the world. Our own Canadian activist seventeen-year-old, Autumn Peltier is teaching the world that everyone has the right to clean safe water. She’s been nominated for the 2019 International Children’s Peace Prize. These two young women have already proven the power of one individual to make a difference. We can follow in their footsteps.