April 24, 2153

My Dear Ancestors,

You have never met me and I have never met you too. In fact, we will never meet. I am not exactly sure why I am writing this letter to you as it will never reach you, but I have nowhere else to turn to with my frustration. I reach out to you due to our familial bonds, no matter how many generations have passed. 

I have no idea where to start. I haven't written a letter by hand in such a long time. The pencil even feels strange in my hand. Even though I keep thinking about what to say to you, the words never seem to come out the way I want them to. I have questions, so many questions even though they will never be answered. 

It’s just that, I don’t understand how it all came to this. There were warnings. There were brave souls who spoke out, even adolescents who screamed for change. There was irrefutable scientific evidence that the planet was on the brink. Still, you continued your reckless behavior. Driving gas-guzzling SUVs, spraying golf courses with water when hundreds of millions did not have access to clean water, and Hollywood actors spewing about saving the environment while having enormous carbon footprints with their jet-set lifestyle. 

I am a child, born and raised in a world that has been irreversibly damaged by the harmful acts to the environment committed by my ancestors. It is hard for me to even imagine what life was like for you, living in a world where the air was clean, the oceans were blue, and the forests were green. But I have heard stories and seen video evidence of a lush and fertile world that seems alien to me. 

I can't help but wonder why you ruined the future for me.

I have never seen a blue sky. The air I breathe is thick with pollution and toxins. The water is contaminated, and the food is grown in artificial environments, but the production is not near enough as billions starve. Thus, the government implemented a one-child policy where mothers are sterilized right after giving birth. People say that I was lucky to be born first. Lucky? Are they referring to the same luck that dropped me into this gray world of smog and uncontrollable wildfires? It would have been a better fortune not to be born at all. . 

The natural world as you knew it no longer exists. Instead, I live in a world of concrete and steel, where the only nature we see is in virtual reality simulations. I desperately want to escape this nightmare, yet I am unable to do so. The Earth has gone past its breaking point, and we must deal with the repercussions.

I had a dream once that I walked barefoot through the green grass at a park. The coolness and softness of the blades on the soles of my feet. The sensation of the grass tickling my toes and the breeze caressing my skin created a sense of peace and tranquility that I never knew existed. The vibrant colors of the flowers and trees, the chirping of the birds, and the rustling of the leaves all gave me a sense of wonder and awe. When I woke, I wondered how I could imagine such beautiful things that I had never witnessed before.

I know that the previous generations were aware of the impact that their actions were having on the environment. You knew about climate change, you knew about the destruction of habitats and ecosystems, and you knew about the depletion of resources. So why did you continue to act in ways that would harm the future of the planet? The planet I now inhabit. 

I read that previous generations’ obsession with technology led to the rise of enormous tech companies with dishonest politicians in their pay who indoctrinated humans into thinking that civilization and the world were immune to destruction. Absurd plans to colonize Mars, live underwater, or construct weather-proof domes, which falsely lead you to believe that you could defeat mother nature and the poison inflicted upon her. 

You were more concerned with your own comfort and convenience than the long-term health of the planet. You chose to prioritize short-term economic gain over the well-being of the earth. You continued to burn fossil fuels, cut down forests, and pollute the air and water, despite the warnings of scientists and environmentalists. Why?

Don’t get me wrong, I know that not everyone acted this way. There were those who fought tirelessly to protect the planet and raise awareness about the consequences of our actions. But it seems that they were not enough to counteract the damage done by the majority. 

Now, in my world, we are left to deal with the consequences of your actions. We are the ones who must face the harsh reality of a planet on the brink of collapse. We are the ones who must try to rebuild and restore what has been lost.

You would be shocked by the world I live in as society has regressed due to the depletion of resources and last-ditch efforts to save what is left. Walking is my mode of transportation as combustion engines have been banned and electricity is too scarce to power EVs. Clean water has become the most valuable commodity that is controlled and rationed by massive enterprises that now eclipse those Silicon Valley tech companies that used to rule the world. 

I can't help but feel angry and resentful toward your generation. You had the power to prevent this future from happening, but you chose not to. You left us with a world that is barely habitable, a world where survival is a constant struggle. I know that it is not entirely fair to blame you for the state of the planet. After all, the issues that we face now are the result of many decades of cumulative damage. But I can't help but feel a sense of betrayal towards the people who came before me.

I wish that I could go back in time and speak to you directly. I wish that I could ask you why you made the decisions that you did, and implore you to consider the consequences of your actions. I wish that I could make you see the world as it is now so that you could understand the gravity of the situation. But I know that is not possible. 

I often think about what life would be like if you had made different choices. What if you had prioritized the environment over convenience and profit? What if you had taken a proactive approach to preserve the planet for future generations? What kind of world would we be living in today? Perhaps all useless questions now. 

I have been rambling, haven’t I? The siren just sounded so I need to place my cup outside my door for my daily ration of water. 

Later this week, I will go down to the polluted river and put this letter in a bottle. I saw that in an old movie once. I don’t expect this letter to miraculously reach you in the past, but I needed to pour my heart out. By the chance that this letter does reach you, I hope that you will take the time to reflect on your actions and the impact that they had on the future of the planet. I hope that you will learn from the mistakes of the past and work to create a better future.

Sincerely,

Your future descendent