Baby ’23 gripped the slats of her crib. Her eyes followed Old Man ’22 as he shuffled back and forth sorting papers and file boxes. The elderly gent glanced at the “year-glass.” Very few grains of sand remained. “Got to set you up for success,” he mumbled with his back to the infant.
“I guess I haven’t done a half-bad job,” he continued. “Seems like most folks have awakened to the reality that Mother Earth needs quite a bit more TLC if folks expect to continue enjoying all the gifts she’s provided for them. Then turning to the tiny ’23, “So I’ve got a few things to leave with you. I hope you’ll consider using them.”
He cleared a place in front of the crib and hoisted up three large boxes. They were labeled: Geo & atmospheres, Biodiversity and People. Then he set a large mixing bowl next to them. “Folks have mostly kept these three things in separate boxes. People usually think of nature (Geo & atmospheres and Biodiversity) as ‘out there’ somewhere, separate from people’s homes and cities. But actually, they are all just different aspects of the same thing and are inseparably intertwined. Anything that happens to one affects the other two. Together they combine to create that mysterious, complex web of life on Earth.
“So your challenge, young lady, is to get these concepts whisked together in folks’ minds.” Then reaching to the top shelf he brought down a large tray labeled “Essential Components.” From it, he removed a number of vials. They included: Clean Energy, Healthy Diets from Sustainable Farming, Circular Economies, Urban and Transportation Planning, Equitable Health Coverage and Social Protections, Training and Education, and finally Water and Energy Access for All.
“There you go, young lady. These Essential Components will help guide you in whipping up a delightful mixture of pulsating life on Earth for all creatures. Of course you won’t be able to accomplish everything in your brief 365-day trip around the sun. But you have all the pieces necessary to build on the modest gains our predecessors and I have begun.
“I’ll be going soon. Best wishes for a successful venture,” the kindly fellow smiled, “because we really must succeed. What other choice do we have? This is the only home any of us will ever know. It’s where we’re all forever …Earthbound.”
“I guess I haven’t done a half-bad job,” he continued. “Seems like most folks have awakened to the reality that Mother Earth needs quite a bit more TLC if folks expect to continue enjoying all the gifts she’s provided for them. Then turning to the tiny ’23, “So I’ve got a few things to leave with you. I hope you’ll consider using them.”
He cleared a place in front of the crib and hoisted up three large boxes. They were labeled: Geo & atmospheres, Biodiversity and People. Then he set a large mixing bowl next to them. “Folks have mostly kept these three things in separate boxes. People usually think of nature (Geo & atmospheres and Biodiversity) as ‘out there’ somewhere, separate from people’s homes and cities. But actually, they are all just different aspects of the same thing and are inseparably intertwined. Anything that happens to one affects the other two. Together they combine to create that mysterious, complex web of life on Earth.
“So your challenge, young lady, is to get these concepts whisked together in folks’ minds.” Then reaching to the top shelf he brought down a large tray labeled “Essential Components.” From it, he removed a number of vials. They included: Clean Energy, Healthy Diets from Sustainable Farming, Circular Economies, Urban and Transportation Planning, Equitable Health Coverage and Social Protections, Training and Education, and finally Water and Energy Access for All.
“There you go, young lady. These Essential Components will help guide you in whipping up a delightful mixture of pulsating life on Earth for all creatures. Of course you won’t be able to accomplish everything in your brief 365-day trip around the sun. But you have all the pieces necessary to build on the modest gains our predecessors and I have begun.
“I’ll be going soon. Best wishes for a successful venture,” the kindly fellow smiled, “because we really must succeed. What other choice do we have? This is the only home any of us will ever know. It’s where we’re all forever …Earthbound.”
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