Letter to Women & Environment Rights Symposium Delegates
Dear Child, Yes You Here Present And All you stand for & represent
Welcome
To this World you were born, Rights Accompanied by Responsibilities You were given
Second by second; Minute by Minute; Hour by Hour; Day by Day; Week by Week; Month by Month; Year by Year Go By, Up and About you go
All I do is watch you and wonder
Sometimes You are not present, ungrateful, selfish, ripping me apart, negligent
Sometimes ignorant, dodging responsibility, playing the blame game And all I do is watch You and Wonder
Hello there.
And You need to talk
I have given you everything that a mother possibly can.
I bathe you, feed you, give you shelter, heal you and even nourish your eyes with the beauty that surrounds you. I even gave you the very air you breathe.
Withholding nothing to myself, I single-handedly raised you. I give life to you!
Your selfishness, it really breaks my heart and hurts mankind.
You use my natural resources so irresponsibly and recklessly.
You cut off my trees as you please without replacing them.
Every opportunity you get, you will upset the ecosystem just so you can mine and mine more coal, gold and diamonds.
Oh, do not even get me started with gas emissions, Your demands are too much for me, and my children, and as I grow older, I fail to keep up.
At this rate, I wonder if I will ever see my grandchildren one day. Spare the rod and spoil the child, yes, there are times when I have tried subtle and “not so” subtle ways to whip you back in order.
Dare I remind you of cyclones, heatwaves, famines and floods? That was my rod to punish you for your actions! Do I rejoice in that? No! I have seen in the past, how my anger and retaliation have shaken you all, and it has always brought me so much sadness and brokenness in my heart. I know the power I yield, and if I turn up in all my might, fury and wrath, I will wipe you all ingrateful infants off my face! I never want to do that, but if must, I will!
Yet if you do not change your ways, my children, the end is inevitable.
Today, your doctors diagnose me with particular health conditions such as climate action, and resource depletion.
Since my birth over 4.54 Billion years ago, I never heard of such strange health complications that you have brought on me with all your learned talk on science, technology and industrialization.
You are on the path of self-destruction and you need to be stopped. I guess what I am trying to say is: Please be considerate,
I can’t pour from an empty cup.
Yet amongst all of you, there are chosen ones, those trusted and chosen by my ancestors to lead and protect me: The women! Allow them to lead.
I am your inheritance, I am your centre of well-being, I am your future
Wake Up
Participate
Play your part
Stand Up
Take Action
Time is Now
Yes You can & Yes You will
Together with other delegates here, you owe it to those who came before you, whose shoulders you stand on and those to come, whom you pay forward for sustainable futures
Best wishes through the Symposium and All it will invoke you to be and to do
With love
Mama Earth
