Not long back I was also a Greta but not The Greta Thunberg. An idealist gathering problem statement from different sources (it was pre internet era in suburban India). I used to read science journals, news paper and observing the environment around. This made me activist from the core looking for the utopian solutions. Fast forward to the present day, if the Greta I’m looking she doesn’t resemble like a Greta I was. The feeling I get is the Greta is a cottage industry which employs many PR people opportunist activist and 16-year-old activist a Greta. To sustain the cottage industry the Greta rebel against the activist Greta I resemble with.
When I remember my days, just to remind you it is not long-long back but just 9 to 10 years back in time. Maybe the Greta and me belong the same generation hence taking this liberty of comparing myself to her. I used to write fiery speeches to be delivered on Independence Day, republic day, world environment day etc. to bring my class fellows to take the issue seriously. The building up of the activist in me got a boast when I won award for best essay in writing competition. For many the incidence that I mentioned might seem trivial but for a growing teenager with ambitions these are career highlight which one fondly remember even after decades.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/sep/27/the-greta-thunberg-problem-so-many-men-freaking-out-about-the-tiny-swedish-climate-demonA Greta in me would have shunned the formation of cottage industry around me. Life would have taught me to learn nitty gritty of social interaction and eventually I would have given upon activism with dawning of realism in me. I would have dedicated my remaining formative years learning things of lesser consequence. Now when I confront the Greta, I could not relate with her as a Greta is already dead in me.
Being ambitious is nothing wrong. There are already millions of hypocrites inhabiting earth and earth can sustain one more opportunist hypocrite. The bottom line is not too risky hence believing the Greta would not bring much harm to me or the world. If she succeeds maybe a Greta may not die in many upcoming generation.
