DO WE LOVE OUR CHILDREN ENOUGH?
Esme Rose, born 10th September, 2019 | Credit: JennyCarter
A new baby is a wonderful gift and the beginning of all things for a new family. A deep love, new experiences, wonder, joy and new hope for humanity.
A baby born now, is likely to live beyond 100 years with the right diet and medical support. But what sort of world will it be? What sort of challenges will our children face as they grow up and grow old?
Do we love them enough to put complacency and our current lifestyles aside to mend our sick planet?
You’d be forgiven for fearing for their future. Our world is deeply divided. Divided in our needs, wants and attitudes. Short-term commercial interests are prioritised over the love we have for one another and for the protection of our natural resources and mother nature. It’s a sorry state. We feel the future these days as much as we think it, but in so many ways it’s ‘business as usual’ for the majority of the world and it is hard not to be downcast.
The critical situation regarding climate breakdown and our broken food system is a message that is unpalatable, yet it is our greatest challenge. By pursuing farming on an industrial scale, we have taken over the Earth’s surface for agriculture, to produce human-edible cereals to feed farm animals, generating huge levels of emissions and pushing out the natural wildlife and biodiversity. It’s a vicious circle and one that is destroying our world. Yet it is denied by some powerful nation leaders, ignored by others.
At its heart, perhaps this illustrates how we are in danger as a species of losing our humanity – our ability to listen, to be kind, thoughtful and sympathetic. Not least to the animals who share our planet and to those who will come after us; be they are own flesh and blood, or the children of future generations.
As we all look to the future, it is of course an imperfect world, we are human after all, but I am greatly heartened by stories of human endeavour and kindness to others and all animals, which serve to lift the human spirit. And in our ability to love, our ability to care, our ability to do the right thing even against impossible odds. Which is what also makes us human.
Most notably, it seems to be the younger generation that are taking the lead with ambassadors like Greta Thunberg, the 16-year-old Swedish climate activist, who has woken the world up. Young people the world over are now reminding us all that we are the first generation to know we have only 12 years to solve climate change, but the first generation that must do something about it.
Whatever you may be doing this New Year, may I take this opportunity to wish you a very joyous, healthy and peaceful one. I give my heartfelt thanks to all those who care and are compassionate towards their fellow man, to all animals and to our environment. Take pleasure and comfort too in acts of kindness and have faith in yourself. Because every single one of us has the ability to make a difference and together I feel sure we will make the world a better place for farm animals and for us all, not least for our children.
Thank you.
If you have been moved by this blog and would like to know more about how eating less meat, dairy and eggs reduces the environmental impact of animal farming and the health of our planet, please use this link.
