We Have Concerns
An Open Letter to Our Future
To be an explorer is the stuff of dreams. Young children go to sleep with visions of twinkling stars, now star-dust in the Milky Way. Twenty-somethings carry the ideals of exploration into careers as writers, biologist, physicists, philosophers and dreamers. Those characterized by the deep lines of graceful old-age look back on their lives in pursuit of early memories of blazing trail in a ‘simpler’ time. Wouldn't it be sublime if every human-being had the chance to enjoy the universe in this deliberate and wondrous way? How fantastic it would be if we could all fall in love with the natural and profound wonders of the world ahead of us! How truly excellent it would be if our motto was no longer, “Progress for the sake of Progress,” and instead became, “Collaboration for the sake of Sustainability.” The conclusion forthcoming may have already dawned on you; for the first time in forever, we are the generation who can.
We've found ourselves at a crossroads in history where we are witnessing the formation of a uniquely prestigious club, in fact and undoubtedly the first of its kind; the generation that can no longer claim ignorance. We have stumbled into an era of technology that was largely not of our making but a tool we've adopted for ourselves. We have become and will continue to become the first crusaders of information. Knowledge Knights. Legions of learning forming every day that see fit to be angry with the status quo because perhaps that’s what the status quo deserves.
A personal example would do well here.
In Africa I lived in a uniquely extraordinary region. At the epicenter of the Warm Heart of Africa in Malawi, I worked among children who redefined inspiration. Each at high risk of micro-nutrient deficiencies in an area whose people play host to the HIV/AIDS virus to the detrimental tune of 1 in 3 inhabitants, but who each-in-turn hold true to their devotion to humanity. For those who live in Lilongwe, their environment has cultivated a truer sense of ‘human’ than I, or anyone from the West could ever hope to personally measure. These children solidified in me a level of gratitude for education and learning I may still be without had I not stepped off that plane. Our generation is coming around to this conclusion with a grandeur and determination unlike any before it. Our love for learning and sharing information has come to represent exploration, public engagement, being angry and outspoken when the situation demands it of us, refusing to be left out-of-the-know and having a keen understanding of the importance of the scientific method; all pillars of ACAP Saint John.
We have created a situation in the modern world whereby those with the least possessions, possess the least voice. We can accept it no longer. Climate change is happening and we know it. There are systemic institutions which seek to keep us unhealthy, actively targeting children and those who are economically challenged, and we know it. There are one billion without the requirements for life and we know it. The fear of not knowing is behind us, and the challenge of what we will do about it is ahead. This is an open letter to those in Saint John and beyond who, for the first time in history, have the opportunity to right the wrongs. We will be the first to scientifically and socially benefit from a global discourse that finally includes the incredible minds and talents of one billion people who have, until now, been all but forgotten.
We've banded together and have accepted that the human condition has pushed us into corners but we’re enchanted by the idea of pushing back! Sharing information via the internet is the general on the stallion leading us ahead. We have the ability to learn if we chose to do so and we have the ability to talk about it with people we may never meet in person. The sharing of ideas, the brainstorming of solutions, and the dispersion of knowledge about humanity and the environment from Montreal to Mongolia. A global conversation that quite literally has never taken place on such a scale.
ACAP Saint John is a bastion for information, a conduit to environmental change and a channel for local participation. Outreach has become the name of the game. Encouraging those who have by no fault of their own been in the dark and welcoming them into an era where we can band together and in unison say, “You have got to be kidding me.” I am confident that in 15 years we will look back into the annals of history and see that Saint John’s residents, young and old, chose to join the wave of change. ACAP Saint John will not only be riding that wave, it could very well be what sets it in motion.
It simply cannot be said enough; we have created a situation in the modern world whereby those with the least possessions, possess the least voice. The fear of not knowing is behind us, and the challenge of what we will do about it is ahead.
Join us in making Saint John a front runner in public discourse on the path to change!