I just turned eighteen and to be honest, nothing has really changed. I just woke up being one year older than the day before. Physically I haven’t changed much since my last birthday, mentally I have evolved for sure but otherwise nothing really incredible happened when I turned 18. Legally though, many things have changed, I am now considered as an “adult” even though being adult means many different things. If I haven’t changed much, there is something that constantly moves: our world. That is why I wanted to tackle three important matters (according to me) in today’s world. I truly believe that young people such as me should reflect upon the various situations and events happening across the globe. We have a voice so let’s use it.
The USA and abortion: a slow downfall
It has been a few months since the United States of America declared that abortion is illegal on their soil thus reversing Roe vs Wade. Agreeing or disagreeing is not going to be my main point here, in fact I would like to focus on what consequences this decision had on the country’s image. The USA are often described as a country where Freedom is the key word to life, where people are allowed to believe whatever they want even if it is believing that the earth is flat, where people can express themselves without restrictions. Therefore it also implies that the USA respects Human Rights and fights for those rights to be respected all around the world. Well, it appears to me that they switched sides since their decision regarding abortion. In what kind of world should the government be allowed to dictate what one must do or not with one’s body ? In what world should anyone let their own beliefs dictate someone else’s lifestyle ? Well, surely not a world where Human Rights and Freedom act as a motto. I clearly remember when the USA started vaccinating their population against Covid-19. Numerous civilians started demonstrating claiming: “Their bodies, their choice”. Ironic isn’t it ? Where is this motto now ? Honestly I am having a hard time understanding how some people think. When it comes to getting vaccinated against a deadly virus you refuse claiming physical freedom but when it comes to someone else’s choice to keep a baby or not you allow yourself to forbid it ? Isn’t it “their body their choice” ? Or does this not apply when it comes against your beliefs ?
More on abortion:
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/us/abortion-laws-roe-v-wade.html
An article on abortion is also available on The Union:
http://theunioninternational.com/can-we-take-abortion-rights-for-granted/
This point leads me to another remark: why do men have their word to say on the matter ? As far as I know men are unable to get pregnant thus they are not concerned by abortion. Therefore why would you make someone else’s life a living hell when you are not concerned by the matter ? This is selfish, mean and just stupid. The same thing can be said of cis-straight people against LGBT rights. If you are not concerned please do not interfere especially if it is so as to make people’s life difficult, it is just cruel.
Now I would like to move on to a more diplomatic part: the criticism of China by the USA. It is indeed well-known that the United States of America are pros when it comes to denouncing China’s misdeeds. I am here talking about the Uyghurs situation. (Disclaimer: the topic of the article is not by any means tackling the Uyghurs situation and does not express any opinion on the matter. It is purely used as an example) . The US main argument when it comes to this topic is the non-respect of Human Rights. I have mentioned those rights earlier in the article and described them as extremely important to the USA. I find it quite ironic that a country criticizes another country invoking Human Rights when this very same country creates a law that completely goes against the Human Rights values. Sadly, according to me since the abortion law the USA have lost any right to criticize China on Human Rights. I truly believe that the world can now clearly see the hypocrisy of America as well as how unstable it is. A country which before acted as a role model is becoming everything but a role model. Moreover the abortion situation is not the only one we can mention. The issue of school shootings, the riots that happened at the Capitol during the previous elections, the involvement of the USA in multiple conflicts and many more. I have to admit my disappointment. The USA have for decades been Europe’s role model and most precious ally but lastly it appears that this country which always claimed to be the land of freedom, is taking a bad turn.
Climate change: is it too late ?
I obviously could not have written an article about current world issues without mentioning this one. What does our future look like ? Do we even have one ? Are we going to die soon ? As harsh as those questions look, they are legit ones. As a young person I wonder what kind of world I am going to live in as an adult. I wonder why nothing has been done yet. I wonder how some people remain sceptical regarding global warming and I wonder how we, as human beings, still consider animal lives as inferior to ours.
The very first issue I want to mention is petrol. We have for a few years now constantly explained why petrol is an issue and I don’t need to re-explain it here. I think the reason why we keep on using petrol is first: because several countries’s economy is based on it. Second: because we do not have any viable alternative. Sure electric cars are a thing now but it appears that it is not developed enough yet and there is the issue with the batteries: you can get more informations on this link.
Therefore what are we supposed to do ? We still need to move around whether it is in the countryside or in the city with public transportation. Petrol is viable unlike electricity, it is way more developed and even though the prices are as high as mount Everest right now, it is more commonly used. That is why as long as electric transportation can’t be provided to everyone, we will keep on using petrol and as a consequence, we will keep on polluting.
My second point is deforestation. Here I will take the Amazon Rainforest as an example. Brazil heavily deforests the rainforest so as to create more exploitable land for its agricultural activity. It is true that Brazil provides several countries like the EU with foodstuffs and other primary products. Still, is it a good reason to voluntarily destroy a natural space home to millions of species ? (You can find more informations about the Amazon Rainforest’s ecosystem on this website: www.greenpeace.org )
My answer is an obvious no. Who has any right to destroy another species’ habitat ? Absolutely no one. It is time for everyone to realize that we are not the only species on Earth and that our lives do not have more value that another species’ life. A life is a life. Taking one is obviously a crime against Nature (Self-defence non-included).
Obviously one could answer this argument by saying that we must eat. Well then I wonder why there is so much food waste if we need the food so much.
More informations on the Amazon Rainforest’s deforestation:
https://time.com/amazon-rainforest-disappearing/
These two situations that I mentioned share the same motive: profit. Indeed countries who base their economy do not want to stop using petrol and Brazil wants to export more and produce more. Here is according to me our main issue. As long as we will crave and chase profit (that we most of the time don’t need to increase) we won’t improve our behaviour towards Nature. We must remember that we, as human beings, are part of Nature, it is our home. So for our own sake and the sake of our neighbour species, we need to rethink the way we live, no matter how hard it might be. We must change so as to survive.
Do I have hope ?
I have chosen for this article two topics that matter to me but there is so much to tackle when it comes to our world. I feel like I have given the feeling that hope has disappeared in the two previous parts. Thus in this very last part I’ll tell you why I am hopeful regarding our future.
First, we are an open-minded generation as well as a resilient one. Gen Z is indeed extremely tolerant whether it is regarding Women’s Rights, LGBT Rights, the incorporation of different cultures in the same city and country…
That is something I truly am proud of. That is why I am positive that future Gen Z world leaders will be incredible. Our generation is way more conscious about global warming, inequalities and the dangers of war than previous generations. Of course we are far from perfect and we need to work on our consumption. I personally grew up in Europe, in France and I have never been in need and I am so grateful for it. Nevertheless I am now realizing that controlling our consumption is decisive when it comes to waste management and pollution as well as our dependence to it. Protecting our minds from media and fake news has never been more important than today. If we are going to live with technology (we don’t really get to choose here) then we have to create good and healthy habits regarding technology. This can be information checking, regulating time spent on screens and social medias as well as feeding “good content” to our minds so as to balance with entertainment. Our minds are like our bodies, they need to be kept in good health. That’s why I heavily encourage people to get informed on a new topic everyday, to learn a new language, to watch documentaries on wildlife… We need to have independent minds that can think so we can create a better world.
Thank you for reading and I truly hope that from now on we can all work together so as to create this better world that we deserve.
— French writer Joshua Roulin can be reached at joshua.roulin@gmail.com. Follow him on instagram @josh.rln.
