An open letter to Greta Thunberg

I'm almost 18 years old, I was born in 2001 and I'm a part of the Z Generation. I'm often not too proud to be a Millennial because of some habits of my peers, sometimes I don't feel like I'm fitting in with mates of my age. Nevertheless, since Greta Thunberg's first public appearance, since Fridays for Future movement was born, I'm really happy to be born in the third millennium. 

Pay attention to Greta's followers, look at who participates in the protests: the majority are guys of my own age, young and youngsters. For us, this is quite a new thing: we never had mass shared moments, any '68 protests or September 11th to mark, divide or unite the first generation born with a smartphone in the hand.
What's the key of the young Swedish girl popularity? Mainly sharing. Thanks to the Internet, making something of public domain takes just the time to post an Instagram Story, so with a few clicks, an indefinite number of people could know something. In this case, sharing is doubly important: people knew thanks to this means that this girl affected by Asperger syndrome in Stockholm was trying to somehow change the world's destiny. That's it: sharing generates interest, interest creates interactions and interactions urge people to do something to feel part of a community. Greta's following was born from here, allowing her to become a candidate for a Nobel prize, one of the 25 most influential teenagers according to the TIME and the spokesperson of years and years of scientific researches. 

It's not a mystery that scientists and researchers don't know how to reach youngsters' attention. They are unable to attract them, and this is because before today millennials had never realized how serious the climate problem was, and honestly, I'm among them. I don't blame these guys for never having listened to dozens and dozens of scientists who warned them on the same problem for what now they all have become environmentalists, just in Greta's steps. How can a scientist attract youngsters' attention through technical explanations and warnings that taste more of psychological terrorism than anything else? Can you imagine a teenager retweeting a note of a researcher? Personally, I don't. It's sad to say, but if Greta didn't exist, this would have never happened. There would not be any interest in the environment, there would not strikes or protests. No one will appeal to the most powerful politicians of the world simply because no one could be capable of collecting consensus on a global scale as Greta is doing. It's clear that if you don't attract youngsters' attention, the actual but especially the future habitants of the world, you cannot think of attracting grown-ups. 

In the last days, surfing the net I read multiple comments on Greta and on her position. There is who "is sure" of the fact that Greta is someone's puppet, there's who claims that she is a pushed character, while others think that all the movement born from Greta is composed by hypocrites that ride the trend of the moment, that of being environmentalists. Personally, I think that in 18 years of my life I've never seen anyone uniting the masses to reach a single objective like she is doing. I refuse to believe that Greta Thunberg is an antagonist, a subject controlled by someone, an evil to be fought, moreover, I think that it could be thanks to her if in the future, perhaps, we will no more drive cars for short trips, drink in plastic bottles, there won't be pollution. I think this because, as a millennial, I watch enthusiastic the joining of my peers to the Fridays for Future movement, participation that I've never seen before uniting so many kids all around the world, together and in a specific moment for a cause of absolute importance. People like Greta because she is special and different: Asperger syndrome, the illness that afflicts her, has become a strong point for her and a fascinating characteristic for who listens to her and watches to her. Watching this young girl brilliantly arguing and answering with so much audacity and without any fear in front of the most influential and powerful politicians of the planet leaves you speechless. For her skill to show up as a person without any fear if not that one concerning the world's future, Greta has intrigued lots of guys. At this age, millennials' idols are often singers or sporty personalities: Greta Thunberg is the exception that proves the rule, a really influential subject thanks to her nerve and to what could have been a flaw some years ago, just Asperger. I appreciate Greta too for her way of talking, but especially I find myself in her anxieties and worries, that makes me think how this topic is (and must be) central now that the time to actually change things is running out. 

Today it won't be like any other day. Millions of people will come down in the squares and the streets of thousands of cities in the world to unite together in a single shout of protest, praying to be listened from whom it may concern. Many of them will be young people and I'm waiting for lots of signs with “Skolstrejk för klimatet", "Strike of school for climate" written on, the motto that touched for first the public opinion on the climate change. 403 days ago, Greta Thunberg started her march, starting from the sidewalk down the Swedish Parliament in Stockholm to arrive to have a dramatic speech at the UN some days ago, keeping reiterating how the harmful political choices applied by the governments have "stolen her dreams and childhood" and are disappointing young people, who should look up to adults to become better people, not worse. Now, with her, the Z Generation will turn once again, this time stronger, on the powerful political leaders of the Earth to ask for improvements of the current climate situation of our planet. The world belongs to everyone, we must remember this.