tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017925699690446520.post1073042173237288781..comments2024-03-16T20:11:53.366-07:00Comments on Hepzibah: Greta Thunberg and Climate ChangeAlan McCornickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15532896902247434009noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017925699690446520.post-4041101546220020692019-04-15T16:23:13.571-07:002019-04-15T16:23:13.571-07:00I appreciate it, Emil, that you worry about this y...I appreciate it, Emil, that you worry about this young idealist. At that age it is so easy to let your enthusiasm get ahead of you and set up unrealistic expectations. But listen to that interview with Anne Will I linked to and I think you'll agree with me that the goals she lays out sound realistic. She's not out to change the world overnight; she's only interested in getting people to realize we're too far gone to be under any illusion anymore that the snail pace is going to ever be effective. She has Asperger's, yes, but it seems not to be holding her back. Her articulateness is remarkable. People sit up and listen. Also, she can be sociable when she believes she's having an effect. She eschews smalltalk, yes but puts herself out there when it comes to interaction with other activists and the media. There's no way to predict the future, of course, but surely the climate change issue is only going to be more salient in more people's lives as time goes by. I doubt this issue is like suffering in Syria or Yemen or Somalia, or other far-off places which we can turn our backs on. My guess is that she has carved out a space for herself and her name will be remembered as more and more people take up the cause.<br />Alan McCornickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05211376863316639727noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017925699690446520.post-29482255377243611142019-04-14T13:42:33.651-07:002019-04-14T13:42:33.651-07:00Leaving tihe climate change issue aside for the mo...Leaving tihe climate change issue aside for the moment, I am fascinated by the phenomenon of Greta in itself. For me she represents a perfect explanation of what made another virgin hero, Jean d'Arc tick and have a comperable break-through. Greta is suffering from Asperger's syndrome and as such "gifted" with the power of focusing on a single issue, leaving all else beside. Jean d'Arc surely must have suffered from a corresponding affliction. This beneficial short-coming aside, both are also very intelligent and have the power of speech. This may explain the other-wordly and immediate impact both have had on society. <br /><br />How will it end for Greta? If we are to believe the analogy, I sorrily susptect that there will be a bad ending. What she has to say and has said, however important for the survival of human civilisation, is a single minded phrasing that cannot be elaborated or varied to a high degree. This implies that, sooner or later, the message will no longer be seen as fresh and new, and interest in her may gradually abate. Poor girl, having the most important issue of human existence as sole focus of interest and having, eventually, to realise that people cease listening!<br /><br />Yours sincerely<br />Emil Emil Emshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07815643585218883358noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017925699690446520.post-14972670412896795302019-04-02T11:46:06.080-07:002019-04-02T11:46:06.080-07:00Friend Joan has pointed out that I might have ment...Friend Joan has pointed out that I might have mentioned that Greta has had considerable success. Her efforts have led to the EU allotting a quarter of a trillion dollars to fight climate warming over the next seven years.<br /><br />https://www.ecowatch.com/greta-thunberg-eu-pledge-climate-2629705430.html<br /><br />I can hear Greta saying, "Too little, too late." But the way the world works, I think the moral of the story is don't underestimate the power of youthful inspiration to get things done.Alan McCornickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05211376863316639727noreply@blogger.com