A letter, the last in a four-part series…

My Kin, I think often about your quality of life and health as I live my own with joy. What we do now will affect you and I’m trying to be aware and choose my actions with this knowledge. Giving back to our community is beneficial in a multitude of ways: time, treasure, or talent. While there are selfish people in our world today, there are also many who donate their precious time to help others and causes, in addition to money or their talent to support programs. I can only hope that you, my descendant, are surrounded by a nurturing and warm community. 

My Kin, I can’t imagine what state the world will be in during your time on earth, but currently, we experience extreme inequality from billionaires to homeless populations. My hope is that those with money are investing more wisely now, towards clean energy programs, water quality, social equity, and more. We can do that through our banks and stock investments, but many are still unaware of this. Sadly, money is still being invested in programs that benefit fossil fuels, large monopolies, and socially unjust causes that won’t benefit you many years from now. 

My Kin, we’re learning the importance of community in our lifetime today–similar to the way our ancestors and natives from hundreds of years ago lived–but it’s challenging with our nuclear families spreading across the globe. Hopefully, your families are close and tight, and your youth feel secure and stable without too many external influences from social media and divisive politics. I can only hope that your family feels content with friends, family, neighbors, and many pets.   

My Kin, I think often about what I have now–clean water and air, trees, wild animals, land, and food–and I can only hope you’re experiencing the same. Please know we are all trying…

By Mary Closser