A Love Letter To Young Change Makers
To make bigger change in the world you need to own your inherent worthiness as a human being and step into your power.
“The only path wide enough for all of us is love.” — Kamand Kojouri —
I’m doing something a little different today. Many of the young climate leaders I work with read my daily posts. Yesterday one of them told me how much my posts, many of which are inspired by them, lift them up during difficult times. You see, these young change makers, who are called the New Generation, are all from developing countries highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.
They all work to support those on the frontlines of climate change in their countries and they also advocate for the most vulnerable households and communities in the global climate negotiations. Two of these amazing humans live in Malawi, a country recently devastated by the longest lasting cyclone in history. So today I’m dedicating this space to them. But this message is not just for the New Generation. It’s something we all need to hear. Though in our hearts we’ve known the truth all along. Here we go . . .
Dear New Generation,
It’s recently come to my attention that some of you are giving your power away. When I heard that I felt sad because what it means is that you don’t know your inherent worthiness as a human being. And unless you understand your inherent worthiness and know with every fibre of your being that you are perfect exactly as you are, the world won’t benefit from all you have to offer. Because you can’t step fully into your power as a change maker unless you know your worthiness.
It’s no surprise that you forgot your inherent worthiness. We’ve been taught that there is a hierarchy of worthiness based on arbitrary categories (because make no mistake, they are arbitrary). These categories have been socially constructed to create an “other”. To allow groups of people (and let’s be honest it’s primarily one group of people) to dominate others based on these socially constructed categories of worthiness.
Luckily, this false narrative based on false categories of worthiness, is crumbling like a house of cards. We can hasten its demise by stepping into our inherent worthiness as human beings.
Because here’s the truth: there is no other. We are one humanity. It’s not a cliché. It’s the only thing that’s real. Each one of us worthy just as we are. Because we are human. It’s as simple as that. There is only one category. And if you’re human you are inherently worthy.
Humanity is a spectrum. A spectrum of humans who are equal in our divinity. Equal in our perfection. Equal in our worthiness. And each one of us has something unique to offer the world.
Here’s what should have happened. When you were born you should have received a letter from the human family that went a little like this:
Dear one,
Welcome to the world! We are so excited to have you here and looking forward to seeing how you make this planet an even better place to live. We know that you were born knowing your inherent worthiness but in case you forget we want to remind you in writing that you are divine, worthy and perfect just as you are. You came to Earth to provide your unique gifts and talents and we look forward to discovering what those are.
You can find in Appendix A the full list of rights and freedoms you can expect as a human being. Note that everyone has the same rights and freedoms. We commit to protect those rights and freedoms and ensure that you are treated with kindness and respect by everyone within the human family.
We expect you to treat others with kindness and respect and to uphold their rights and freedoms also. We also expect you to treat all living things and the ecosystems which sustain human life with love, honour and respect. We expect you to use only what you need and to always leave things better than they were when you found them.
We hope that you have an adventurous, exciting, fulfilling life full of joy, love, laughter and fun (don’t forget that part — it’s critical to the human experience). Enjoy your first days on Earth and do let us know if we can do anything to support you in your journey!
With our very best wishes for a long and fruitful life,
Your human family
You didn’t receive that letter but you knew it when you were born and the truth has always been there, written on your heart, living in all of our hearts. That we are love. Only love. And that there is only one humanity. And each one of us is inherently worthy.
So stand up and stand tall. Rise up and step into your power. Go out into the world do the thing you’re here to do. Be the person you are meant to be. Make the change in the world you’re here to make. I’ll be behind you, cheering you on.
With all my love,
Erin
To learn more about the New Generation, a group of passionate and committed young climate leaders from the global South, visit the Climate Leadership Initiative and find us @youthmakechange on Twitter.
We’re currently fundraising to welcome a new cohort and enable the New Generation to attend the global climate negotiations this year to advocate for those on the frontlines of climate change in vulnerable developing countries.
We’re also looking for support to manage and update our website to reflect the work we do. If those skills are in your wheelhouse and you’re looking to make more change in the world yourself please do get in touch. You find me on Twitter @Rininreallife.
