Posted by Editor: Katie Williams
I guess I can say that I’m going through a paradigm shift. I’m saying that because I get this feeling about every three years that something needs to change. Whether it’s my job or my hobbies or even as little as the setup in my room I can’t have things stay the same for too long.
My most recent shift was my move this week. I recently moved to Troy and it will be my first apartment by myself. I’m both very excited and nervous, and honestly am not quite sure if I moved too soon but now was the time. Everything that was around me began to become methodical and repetitive, and I hate that.
But I’m not the only one going through a change, we all are. And it’s happening right now and has been happening for some time. Yeah, change is essential, but not when it can become detrimental to the human race and the world as we know it.
Climate change isn’t something that’s talked about around me at all. I’m a waitress. I’m around people a lot and talk to about 30-60 strangers every day. And not one conversation has been about climate change. I find it interesting because it’s blatantly in our faces that something’s not quite right with the changes our world is going through. And nobody seems to care.
One thing I have noticed are the appearance of strange bugs. I’ve been seeing some very questionable bugs lately. Just yesterday I saw something that looked a mini beetle with horns. And more than one! At my job I also see these creepy, spiky cocoon looking things and they are gross. If you get close to them they move… Yuck. They’re called evergreen bagworms and cause harm to trees and plant damage because their larvae feed on trees and plants. I had to google what the heck they were to reassure myself that they weren’t an alien species or something.
I believe the only way climate change can be reversed is if we all play a part in doing so. We need to come together and pick up the slack on acting on climate change. The older I get, the hotter it gets. It may not seem like anything to worry about but it’s more than just heat. There’s been colder winters and longer rain periods. Let’s not forget to mention the floods that have happened this year in Michigan alone.
It’s honestly terrifying to think about if things continue to stay the same. It will only get worse from here, and it won’t affect just me, but my family, mainly my younger siblings and other generations to come.
If people refuse to take action because of themselves, maybe they’ll at least do something for their loved ones. Just the thought of my family having the chance of going through something like a wildfire or any natural disaster is gut-wrenching. In the past couple of years I have seen more natural mishaps occur than I have before.
And what’s worse is that my youngest brother will see and hear about more if something doesn’t change. Again, change is important. It’s needed in certain circumstances. But if the climate continues to change in the wrong direction, we will pay the price for it.
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