Thread by @tcjakobsen

GRETA. Love and anger in a climate of change. All through the night, I've been waking up, unable to sleep. In the last 24 hours millions of people around the globe have protested for climate action. Greta's first action a year ago, a single young person, doing the sensible thing:

Striking for the climate, the planet, our home and source of life, which we are plundering for resources beyond it's limits. She listened to her sense and senses and realized; this can't go on, we have to stop. Now she's the face of the world's first truly global movement.

Just take a look at all the photos here at The Guardians coverage. All around the globe people love her, because they share her deep concern for our world and her sense of urgency. We need to act, we need to realize we are all connected, to work together.

theguardian.com/environment/ga…

When we feel connected, we often call it love. When we feel disconnected, ignored or suppressed, we often feel anger.
As much as people love her, many feel anger at her and the movement she represents. They cannot connect to the sense that all life is connected, but feel alone.

They have accepted the idea, that the world is a zero sum game with a few winners and lot of losers, where we are all - in essence - fighting alone. I understand them, because I have suffered from depression.
I understand why nations compete and wage wars; they too fight alone.

If we truly hear the call Greta has heard, we know that the eternal war must stop; the endless, tragic competition to be the strongest is doomed. In the end nature is stronger than our civilisation. We must live with nature, not conquering it. The time of the strong man must end.

Greta is symbolically the most fitting messenger. A fragile young woman. In herself, not a threat to anyone. Yet many powerful around the world fears her, and will try to fight her openly and in secret. Because of her message: We are all connected and the eternal war must stop.

Historically, the powerful build their power on fear and division. On the idea of the eternal competition, the eternal war - against other people and against nature. This competition has been mankind's engine for development. It has been working for us, running on fear as fuel.

If we are to meet the challenge of the climate crisis, we not only need to change the fuel for the engines of cars, planes and trains; we need to change the fuel of our civilisation-engine. Fear is not sustainable; it is fuel of tragedy. It eats us up and destroys us.

Instead we need the laughter of comedy, which comes when we surrender to our weaknesses instead of idolizing the strong man.
We need to give up on being superior to nature, give up being the best, the strongest or most clever.
We are all frail when the storm comes.

At the end of my night comes morning and here in Copenhagen it's overcast, chilly and a grey morning light.
At the end of the climate crisis, I hope to see photos of Greta, laughing and joyful - a symbol of a new culture, where we embrace our frailty and the comedy of our lives.