I feel so honoured and flattered to have been interviewed by a small group of 5th graders in Japan about the crisis of ecological destruction and climate change this evening. My nephew Nate is a mentor to these wonderful young people and recommended me as a source for their project.

I know there are some people who may think this is trite and I suspect these are the same people who were put down or ridiculed when they were young. In many ways, we have all had that experience, especially in Western society. When we were children many of us were told to be quiet, that we were ignorant, or that we would change. Here is the thing, I did change, but not in the cynical way I was told I would. Instead, I made the conscious effort to jettison those ideas and expand my curiosity, imagination and empathy.

Our culture has designed an artificial barrier between generations, one that sadly works very well at keeping people divided for exploitation and consumer purposes. This only spawns rancor and alienation. But even though it may sound cliché, young people are the future. They deserve a world that is far better than the one we are leaving them. I hope I can be an ally to them for that world.

Kenn Orphan April 2021

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