Environmental Talk

Laurie David

Laurie David and Cambria Gordon have dedicated their new book, “The Down-To-Earth Guide to Global Warming” to their daughters. I thought that was such a great idea that I decided to write my own dedication to my son to be used in my next book.

For your dining and dancing pleasure, the two dedications are printed below. Laurie and Cambria’s is first because I’m chivalrous like that …

To Our Three Daughters
We hope that by the time you read this, the solutions to global warming will be well under way. You already know from living with us, how concerned we are about this problem. Sometimes, we go over board with our reactions to everyday annoyances like over -packaged products, leaving lights on in the room, taking too long a shower or leaving your chargers in the wall. We embarrass you when we glare at hummer drivers and or get emotional when we talk about drowning polar bears. But we do this because all of the things that we love and care about are at stake. We do this because we do not want the day to come when you ask us why we did not do more.

We want you to be able to enjoy snowy winters. We want you to be able to cool off between your sheets on summer nights. We want you to see the leaves change colors when they’re supposed to. We want you to visit Yellowstone National Park and spot a bear. If you get a mosquito bite, we want it to itch, not carry a deadly disease. We don’t want your generation to be the generation that is defined by mass species extinction. We want you to live in a world where we face the truth about our problems and do everything we can to solve them. We want you to grow up to be activists.

That’s why we wrote our book, The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming. It’s for girls like you and yes, boys, too. The more people who understand global warming, the better chance we have at bringing about change — change as individuals and change as a country. Change means accepting the fact that the way we are living is causing huge damage to our planet. Change means that once we accept that responsibility, doing everything in our power to correct our course. Change means hope, not despair. Once you understand global warming, you understand how much you can do to solve it. Time is of the essence…lets get started.

We love you so much,
Your mothers,
Laurie David and Cambria Gordon

Mark Jabo

To My One Son
I hope by the time you read this, much of the hysteria surrounding global warming will have dissipated. You already know from living with me, how unconcerned I am about this “problem.” Sometimes, Frequently on this blog, I go over board with my reactions to some of the nonsense associated with the issue: the demonizing of anyone who doesn’t uncritically agree with all the doomsday predictions, the willingness to suspend individual rights in the name of saving the world, or the attempts to bamboozle children on the subject. I try not to embarrass you when I do things to point you in the direction of thinking for yourself. I would suggest that if you are going to get emotional every time a random animal in nature dies, we’ll need to start saving for therapy now while you’re still in grade school. As with every parent, I do this because I love and care about you and because of all the things that are at stake. I do this because I do not want the day to come when you ask me why I did not do more to help raise you as a strong, confident and independent thinker who embodies kindness and humanity.

I want you to be able to enjoy your life. I want you to marvel at all the new technologies that will be invented in your lifetime – technologies that will help keep you cool in summer or warm in winter – and I want to teach you not to be afraid of progress and achievement. You will see many autumns in your life and I hope you enjoy the beauty and complexity of nature. I won’t be so presumptuous as to tell you I know exactly when any of that is supposed to happen. I want you to visit Yellowstone National Park and spot a bear – hopefully, from a distance and before he spots you. You should understand that the bear won’t be nearly as concerned about your welfare as you may be with his. I would prefer that you never get a mosquito bite but, if you do, I certainly hope it will be malaria-free. As long as we’re attaching significance to mosquito bites, I hope you will remember that millions of humans have died due to an irrational banning of DDT and I hope you remember that a single human life is more precious than any colony of penguins, flock of owls or bevy of tree frogs.

No one wants their child’s generation to be defined by mass extinction, but you should remember that some of the worst atrocities in history have been promulgated in the name of “the greater good.” I want you to live in a world where you face the truth about our problems and are equipped, by virtue of your ability to think and reason, to solve them. I want you to grow up to be proud, confident and filled with self-esteem. You should be the one to determine what you become and should not let anyone, not even me, try to tell you what you should be when you grow up.

This is why I’m going to write my next book, tentatively entitled The Down-To-Earth Guide for Down-To-Earth Living Here on Earth. Uh, … that title could change. It will be for boys like you and yes, girls, too. The more that you understand that your survival is based on your ability to think for yourself, the better chance we all have at bringing about productive change – change that respects the rights of individuals and does not demand that you accept the actions or the way of thinking of any group just because there may be more (or less) of them than you.

Productive change means accepting the fact that you are a human being and, as such, your defining characteristic is your ability to think and that there are requirements for your survival that you should be concerned about. Change means that once you accept the right to think for yourself, you should insist on that right being available to others. The right to think for yourself, and the right to reap the consequent actions of that thinking, should remain free for every individual. Positive change means hope, not despair. Once you understand individual rights, you understand how much is possible to us as humans and understand how much everyone benefits when we are all free to apply the best within us. Time is of the essence … let’s get started.

I love you so much,
Your dad,
Mark Jabo

If our children can survive all of us, they’ll probably be just fine.

[tags] global warming, climate change, Laurie David, Cambria Gordon,