The world of Tzu Chi February 2020 (Vol.119)

TZU CHI 119 59 Ng Hui Ling A nutritionist with a Bachelor’s degree in Nutrition and a Master’s degree in Sports Science, who served at the Singapore Heart Foundation before becoming self-employed, providing dietary consultations to vegetarians and writing a nutrition column for a health magazine. The fate of future generations Following the conversation with my friend, I re-read an article on the former president of Uruguay, José Mujica, by chance. I would like to share a few of Mujica’s thought-provoking quotes here: “We have never seen such concentration of wealth, there has never been so much inequality in a world with so many resources and so few possibilities.” “On account of this hyper-consumerism, we are forgetting fundamental things and expending human effort on trivialities that have little to do with human happiness.” “When you buy something, the instrument is money, but in reality you are buying it with the hours of your life that you spent earning that money.” About a month ago, 16-year-old Swedish climate activist GretaThunberg’s stirring speech at the United Nations (UN) Climate Action Summit went viral worldwide. She criticized the world leaders in attendance for failing future generations with their ignorance towards pressing environmental issues, asserting that she would never forgive grownups if they continue behaving irresponsibly. It is also worth noting that she travelled to the Summit in New York City by crossing the Atlantic Ocean in a solar- powered yacht instead of by plane. The journey took her 15 days. News of Greta aroused in me an interest in this young climate activist and her parents. I scoured the internet for relevant articles on her background, most of which were regrettably in Swedish, so I had to give them a miss. Nevertheless, I discovered that her mother is a famous opera singer. I managed to listen to a video clip of her performance; her melodious voice was trulymusic tomy ears. She eventually decided to refrain from travelling by plane to her performances abroad and resolved to adopt a vegetarian diet with her family. Greta might have become an easy target for keyboard warriors who sit in front of their screens and do nothing but condemn, taunt and criticize her online – some even accused her of being a spoilt brat, a radical thinker and an attention-seeker manipulated by environmental activists and politicians – but she has gained my respect. When some adults among us choose to lose ourselves in hedonistic pleasures and turn a blind eye to climate change, young Greta is able to rise above the ignorance and make the effort to call for change. I doubt Greta would even dream of celebrating her birthday with a succession of birthday cakes, let alone tossing unfinished ones into the bin.