Or do I wimp out?
The triplets' parents have always given them support, encouragement, and excellent role modeling for thoughtful, caring citizens of their community and the planet.
The children reflect that. They're comfortable with elders, peers, younger kids. They're respectful of everyone. They're versed in social justice, diversity, and inclusion issues; they already live the progressive ideals that are elsewhere preached, not practiced. They eat mostly organic, locally sourced food. One's vegetarian and one's on that path. They're all aware of and grateful for the privilege that lets them travel; their parents are paying into a regional carbon offset program to cancel out the emissions from their travel.
Blessedly, the family lives in what should be a relatively safe areas in coming years, away from coasts and desertifying western states, on high ground not prone to earthquakes, tornadoes, flooding, or hurricanes.
But that also means it's where climate refugees will flee. Their community's just beginning to prepare for such a likelihood, and the institution of higher education where both parents work, the community's biggest employer, seeks and accepts buckets of funding from some of the globe's worst corporate polluters.
In activism, and at times in responsible journalism, and always when engaging with those we love, we struggle to make bad news palatable, to hold interest and attention and avoid scaring people into paralysis. I love these teens too much not to tell them, and I love them too much to ruin their adventure and our time together.
Of course I'll consult their parents about how to navigate our cherished relationship. If it's best to keep things light, I'll simply stress all the beauty and diversity and cooperation and interconnectedness of all the flora, fauna, valleys, mountains, oceans, rivers, drinking water, and foods that we encounter. And hope they get the hidden message . . . which surely can't be hidden much longer.
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