Respect

RESPECT

By Anton Antonio

January 30, 2016

This beautiful and moving photo was posted by my friend, Ed Finlan, yesterday on his Facebook page.  (Please see accompanying photo.)  It is a picture of a man with his fist raised (seemingly in protest) as he welcomes the morning sun.  It made me feel somewhat nostalgic as it brought back memories of the early days of our pro-environmental advocacy and activism.

We used to run the streets to do surveys and studies to determine the awareness level of people on environmental issues and concerns… and people looked at us as if we were from a different planet.  We used to talk about the sad state of our environment in social gatherings… and people showed us obvious disconnect, apathy and gave us cold shoulders.  We use to join public forums to defend Mother Earth… and we will be brushed away as if we were dysfunctional.  We used to talk to government officials about alternative initiatives to mitigate the effects of climate change… and we were treated in a very condescending manner.  We definitely were not treated well and fairly before.  And this was largely the way pro-environmental advocates and activists all over the world were treated.

Last year, however, when two world leaders --- Pope Francis of the Holy See and President Barack H. Obama of the United States of America --- spoke on the realities of climate change… and the world paused and listened.  And after the Paris Climate Talks last December (2015), people and the world now view and treat pro-environment advocates and activists with a little bit more respect.

Thoughts to promote positive action…

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