Twenty-four years ago, a remarkably mature 12-year-old girl eloquently and passionately pleaded for her generation’s future on this planet. Appealing to world leaders to preserve and protect all living things on Earth, her speech seemed to make the world stand still for six minutes. Please take the time to watch this moving video, and then let’s ask ourselves if we have made meaningful progress in this past quarter century. Have we adequately addressed the concerns of her generation and those to come, have we answered her pleas to work as, “one single world, with one single goal?”
In 1992, Canadian girl Severn Suzuki spoke at the United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She appealed to her audience to not think of themselves as delegates from their government, businesspeople, organizers, reporters, or politicians but as mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, aunts and uncles. “As a human family, we must decide: will we be selfish and short-sighted or cooperative and visionary?”
Severn reminded them of the lessons children are taught:
“My dad always says ‘You are what you do, not what you say.’ Well, what you do makes me cry at night. You grown-ups say you love us, but I challenge you, please make your actions reflect your words,” Severn implored.
If you were stirred by this earnest 12-year-old’s efforts to inspire humanity’s better angels, you will enjoy this interview with Severn Cullis-Suzuki conducted twenty years later.
http://www.unep.org/environmentalgovernance/PerspectivesonRIO20/SevernSuzuki/tabid/55518/Default.aspx
When I ponder Severn’s plea for us to think of ourselves as “one single world, with one single goal,” this Bible verse immediately comes to mind, “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.” Isaiah 11:6
Severn reminded them of the lessons children are taught:
- Work things out; don’t fight with others.
- Respect humanity.
- Clean up the messes we make.
- Be kind to other creatures; don’t hurt them.
- Share freely, conquer greed.
“My dad always says ‘You are what you do, not what you say.’ Well, what you do makes me cry at night. You grown-ups say you love us, but I challenge you, please make your actions reflect your words,” Severn implored.
If you were stirred by this earnest 12-year-old’s efforts to inspire humanity’s better angels, you will enjoy this interview with Severn Cullis-Suzuki conducted twenty years later.
http://www.unep.org/environmentalgovernance/PerspectivesonRIO20/SevernSuzuki/tabid/55518/Default.aspx
When I ponder Severn’s plea for us to think of ourselves as “one single world, with one single goal,” this Bible verse immediately comes to mind, “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.” Isaiah 11:6
