Fairy Creek and Geezer Power

 

                                                               Geezer Power at Fairy Creek

Since 2018 when 15-year-old Greta Thunberg began protesting climate inaction on her own, a movement of like-minded young people has developed. These teens and young adults realize that their future has been shaped by the greed and denial of adults who choose to ignore the realities of a destructively changing climate. Their advocacy and protests, including Fridays for Future school walk-outs and marches, have caught the attention of many world leaders, even as others have dismissed them. The pandemic has quieted the public rallies but the movement is far from over.

What about their elders, those of us in the geezer stage of life, including aging Baby Boomers? I am one, and I admire Thunberg and others, including I6-year-old Canadian Indigenous Water Keeper, Autumn Peltier. But is there a place for the senior set in environmental activism and Creation Care? 

You may have seen that a group of about 100 seniors were part of a protest march on Vancouver Island this past week. There has been a tense standoff between the RCMP, representing a forestry company and government, and those attempting to stop the destruction of a particular area of old growth trees known as Fairy Creek. The environmentalists and Indigenous peoples have been there with several blockades  and arrests have been made, despite the peaceful nature of the resistance. The press has been kept away from the site once again.

The seniors were there to show solidarity with those much younger who have been holding the line. Here is a portion of report from the Terrace Standard from a couple of days ago:

A gang of seniors marched on logging roads in Fairy Creek on Tuesday (May 25) and said they completely overwhelmed the few RCMP officers who were there holding an exclusion zone.Saul Arbess, 82, said when the officers saw more than 100 seniors marching up the road, they just rolled up their police tape that marks the exclusion zone at Road 2000 and left. “We made quite an impression,” Arbess said.

The headline made me chuckle as I conjured up a picture of a slow motion invasion: Seniors overwhelm RCMP barrier past Fairy Creek blockade:About 100 elderly hikers swarmed the RCMP exclusion zone, no arrests were made

There is no replacement for youthful passion and enthusiasm. And, hey, younger people have knees and bladders which still do what their told. But there are opportunities for those of us who are aging to make a difference in the affairs of our world, everyday. We have seen this with refugee sponsorship, and meal programs, and a host of other community-changing projects. 

Often these elderly participants are members of communities of faith, and they are making a difference with time, and money, and voices which are essential to these causes. 

A lot of us on the shady side of 65 are realizing that the safe and prosperous lives we have lived have exacted a toll on the planet and on those who are not white, and privileged. It's not that we set out to be pleasant plunderers, but that's who we have been. I for one am trying to figure out how I can park that privilege and work for the betterment of all. As a Christian I can't retire from compassion, and justice, and living the love of Christ for my neighbour.