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Advice from a 13-Year-Old
October 25, 2006
Compassion is an unstable emotion. It needs to be translated into action, or it withers.
-Susan Sontag
-Susan Sontag
Hello, I'm Severn Suzuki speaking for E.C.O. - The Environmental Children's organization. We are a group of twelve and thirteen-year-olds from Canada trying to make a difference: Vanessa Suttie, Morgan Geisler, Michelle Quigg and me.
We raised all the money ourselves to come six thousand miles to tell you adults you must change your ways. Coming here today, I have no hidden agenda. I am fighting for my future. Losing my future is not like losing an election or a few points on the stock market. I am here to speak for all generations to come. I am here to speak on behalf of the starving children around the world whose cries go unheard. I am here to speak for the countless animals dying across this planet because they have nowhere left to go. We cannot afford to be not heard.
I am afraid to go out in the sun now because of the holes in the ozone. I am afraid to breathe the air because I don't know what chemicals are in it. I used to go fishing in Vancouver with my dad until just a few years ago we found the fish full of cancers. And now we hear about animals and plants going extinct every day - vanishing forever.
In my life, I have dreamt of seeing the great herds of wild animals, jungles and rainforests full of birds and butterflies, but now I wonder if they will even exist for my children to see. Did you have to worry about these little things when you were my age? All this is happening before our eyes and yet we act as if we have all the time we want and all the solutions.
I'm only a child and I don't have all the solutions, but I want you to realize, neither do you!
You don't know how to fix the holes in our ozone layer.
You don't know how to bring salmon back up a dead stream.
You don't know how to bring back an animal now extinct.
And you can't bring back forests that once grew where there is now desert.
If you don't know how to fix it, please stop breaking it!
Here, you may be delegates of your governments, business people, organizers , reporters or politicians - but really you are mothers and fathers, brothers and sister, aunts and uncles - and all of you are somebody's child.
I'm only a child yet I know we are all part of a family, five billion strong, in fact, 30 million species strong and we all share the same air, water and soil - borders and governments will never change that. I'm only a child yet I know we are all in this together and should act as one single world towards one single goal. In my anger, I am not blind, and in my fear, I am not afraid to tell the world how I feel.
In my country, we make so much waste, we buy and throw away, buy and throw away, and yet northern countries will not share with the needy. Even when we have more than enough, we are afraid to lose some of our wealth, afraid to share.
In Canada, we live the privileged life, with plenty of food, water and shelter - we have watches, bicycles, computers and television sets. Two days ago here in Brazil, we were shocked when we spent some time with some children living on the streets. And this is what one child told us: "I wish I was rich and if I were, I would give all the street children food, clothes, medicine, shelter and love and affection." If a child on the street who has nothing, is willing to share, why are we who have everything still so greedy? I can't stop thinking that these children are my age, that it makes a tremendous difference where you are born, that I could be one of those children living in the Favellas of Rio; I could be a child starving in Somalia; a victim of war in the Middle East or a beggar in India.
I'm only a child yet I know if all the money spent on war was spent on ending poverty and finding environmental answers, what a wonderful place this earth would be!
At school, even in kindergarten, you teach us to behave in the world. You teach us:
not to fight with others,
to work things out,
to respect others,
to clean up our mess,
not to hurt other creatures
to share - not be greedy
Then why do you go out and do the things you tell us not to do?
Do not forget why you're attending these conferences, who you're doing this for - we are your own children.
You are deciding what kind of world we will grow up in. Parents should be able to comfort their children by saying "everything's going to be alright', "we're doing the best we can" and "it's not the end of the world". But I don't think you can say that to us anymore. Are we even on your list of priorities? My father 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. I challenge you, please make your actions reflect your words.
Thank you for listening.
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Comments (12)
Displaying All 12 CommentsNevada City, Ca, United States
This group knows, sees feels and speaks the truth clearly. Food, clean water, health care, shelter, hygiene are the basic aspects for life now and in the future.
It is late, but not too late for us humans to wake up to our own species. Thanks to this group.
United States
I agree with Lynette Chia. We need to see the positive aspect here. We are trying to make a difference. We all need to remember to continue in our efforts and spread the word positively. Start now.
United States
This is exactly how i feel on the subject of our environment, but what can we do to make a difference other then simply encouraging others to change the world. Lets take action a keep the world the way it was made to be.
Stony Mountain, MB, United States
These 13-year old children have certainly expressed great concern for their future, and ours. We should be ashamed of ourselves for letting our Earth fall into such disarray.
Singapore, Singapore
13-year-old children should be playing with their friends or listening to music or watching the tv. It is sad that a child has to carry such a heavy burden. Many a times adult forget what is the purpose, educators included. We go to school thinking that we are teaching our kids but we usually miss out on the most important things. My teacher taught me this from Confauciaus: Self-Family-Country-World. If one takes good care of himself, the world will take care of itself. I wish Severn Suzuki, Vanessa Suttie, Morgan Geisler, Michelle Quigg, and their family and friends good health and happiness. Cheers!
Aurora, Ontario, United States
Severn Suzuki is now an amazing young woman following in her father's footsteps. Her father is world-renowned scientist and activist, David Suzuki. I challenge the judgemental commentators to do a search on Severn Suzuki now! We can all thank her for helping to save OUR home.
United States
I think that this is well-expressed by a 13-year-old. But on the bright side of things, I think with each individual coming to realize such situations, gives the world a little more chance of becoming a better place to live in. With this thought passed on to others, more people will be changed and influenced and, added together, it WILL make a difference in future. She is now a young activist, if we are able to cultivate the right thoughts and ideals in our young now, who knows, maybe there will be another Severn Suzuki and thus, bringing more hope for Mother Earth.
St Marks Cathedral Preschool
Seattle, WA, United States
Wow! When will we start listening to those among us whose hearts and minds are not clouded by greed and selfish thoughts; those among us who have compassion and are willing to show it everyday; those among us who have not yet learned how to hate and to destoy. When will we start to listen to our children. They ARE the future. And only they have the wisdom to save us from ourselves. The fact that children have to travel so far to get their messge across is a very strong indicator that we are not listening. many fo the responses to this speech, in my opinion, are strong indicators that we are not listening. If you feel guilty after reading the speech--maybe you should!
Greater Hartford Even Start
West Hartford, CT, United States
Too bad that the adults commenting on this article are so narrow minded. A 13 year old child does have strong opions and feelings about the world around them. Just listen to the T.V. or computer it has nothing to do with the parents stealing their childhood. Shame on you for doing nothing about what the media puts out there; that's what steals their childhood not the parents. Wake up to the world around you. How sad that an adult thinks that the 13 year old lives in pure horror because of one letter of opinion. I say bravo for the 13 year old to give their opions and feeling about such important issues. Bravo for the adults in their life to support their travel and make public how our children feel. I believe that adults some how feel responsible (as they should) for the horible things that government does. By doing nothing to be informed or to change policy we are still responsible for these terrible acts to distroy the Earth Mother and all living things on her.
Santa Monica, CA, United States
Shame on us as PARENTS for stealing this young girl's childhood. What ever the challenges we face in this world, as parents, we must not drag our children with us through the political and cultural debate. Whether or not the content of her speech is valid, no child should have so much fear and anger for the world. The internal dialogue and emotional anxiety that accompanies challenges at that level are difficult for most adults - it has to be pure horror on a child. We need to take responsibility as parents to protect our children from being used by activists to "give advice." This 13 year old should be playing with friends not speaking at our conferences.
Pres Childhood Lrng Center
Maplewood, MN, United States
I don't even know where to start. This information is wrong on so many levels. Often times people talk about some of these issues as if they were facts and everyone believed the same thing. I don't and I won't teach my children to feel victimized by the earth's adult population. It's ironic that children can raise money to travel across the world and complain that there isn't enough money for starving children and to help animals without homes.
winchester, NH, United States
I can't have said that better. I made a list of things i want to see when i grow up. Like See the coral reef or a glacier, but now im not sure i'll ever be able to see it. i don't no if anything will be around. llike... wow how can people just watch this happen and say people are gonna fix that. it won't happenit can't happoen where too good for that. But where not we might be able to fix this but we can't just stand here and watch it happen. We have to do something. But if people keep refusing to deal with it soon they might not have anything.
-also a 13 year old
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