More Meaningful Than Any Degree

Like all parents, I love my children and want them to enjoy healthy, fulfilling futures. I’m grateful that my daughter is happy with the college she got into. I hope my sons will be happy with their options, too. That said, where (or even if) kids go to college is beginning to feel somewhat insignificant now that “humanity has opened the gates of hell,” as U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said at the first-ever UN Climate Ambition Summit. Screams of “Fire! Get out now!” mixed with blaring horns woke our family at 3 a.m. on August 17, 2020. Thankfully, everyone made it down the mountain that night. In the days and weeks that followed, we stayed at motels and a friend’s place in town. Over 400 homes burned as that wildfire spread through our California community.

For a year or more after that, my youngest son, who was eight at the time, had trouble sleeping at night. He worried that another fire might start or that strong winds might blow a tree over on our roof. This winter, high winds, and record-setting rain pummelled our region. A massive tree fell over, crushing a neighbor’s roof. Although the roof was destroyed and my son’s fears proved justified, no one was hurt.We spent many days without electricity. A generator powered our fridge, a lamp, a panini press, and (when the WiFi was working) the modem. We, of course, were among the fortunate. So many people and communities have already experienced deadly, destructive climate events. I was grateful for my family’s safety, the generator, and my wood stove.

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