Our planet is warming faster than climate scientists originally thought. Facts relating to our rapidly changing environment are easily obtainable on the internet. The unpleasant truth is there for all to see. We can no longer deny it. Our future, as a species, is being threatened by the environment that surrounds us. The time to do something about it is now.

We have two basic problems. We need to stop, and then reverse, global warming in order to maintain our life supporting environment. We must also initiate actions that will ensure our survival should we fail to stop the dramatic move toward a much warmer Earth. In order to accomplish these tasks, we need a united global effort. The big question, “Do we have the willpower to face an uncertain future and survive?”

If our past is any indication of our chances, the answer is yes. Don’t forget, primitive man faced one life threatening challenge after another and managed to succeed. How did they do it and did they have some secret we do not possess?

Our distant grandparents were barely human, and naked, when they climbed down out of the trees and stood upright in the sunlit savannah. With nothing but their bare hands to challenge the multitude of prehistoric predators, against all odds, they lived.

Our ancestors were brave and resourceful, and they were desperate. Fortunately, for us, they met each challenge head on and prevailed. Oh, those primitives were lucky as well, but it wasn’t luck that saved them.

Ingenuity, determination, creativity and self-reliance brought our species out of the darkness and into the light of day. It was as if a spirit walked with us and offered gifts that helped us survive when we needed them. I call that spirit the “Dreamer.”

The Dreamer has walked along life’s path with us since we abandoned the safety of the trees and stepped out onto those ancient grasslands. We gazed at our new world in fear and huddled together at night for comfort. When we slept, the Dreamer gave us insights and visions of things we could use in our daily struggles.

We were cold, the Dreamer gave us fire. We needed protection from the predators that stalked us, the Dreamer gave us weapons made from stone. When we used our new stone weapons and climbed to the top of the food chain, the Dreamer gave us tools to cut and dress meat, turn animal hides into clothing and shelter from the elements.

The Dreamer taught us to domesticate animals. The Dreamer taught us to fish and then build boats so we could catch more fish. Then we used those boats to explore our world.

The Dreamer gave us medicine to cure the sick and injured. Written communications came in a dream, so did the rule of law. Farming, large buildings, libraries, schools, astrology, metallurgy, music, along with all our tools and toys, are gifts from the Dreamer.

The Dreamer also gave us weapons to wage war and destroy one another. This created the conflicts and social pressures that drove our technology forward so rapidly.

The Dreamer paved the way for man’s march into the modern age. We sought an easier life; the Dreamer gave us industrialization, mechanization, chemicals and flight.

The Dreamer created the means for man to change the environment of the planet. Selfish and lazy, without regard for our neighbors and the wildlife that shares this world with us, we have made changes to that environment that now threaten our very existence.

Now we are in a place where we must alter the direction our civilization is traveling. We must change our ways and we do not have much time.

There is danger everywhere we look; glaciers are melting, the sea is warming, the air is polluted, and toxins are in our food and water. We need to know which way to turn. We need a hero to save us. We need the Calvary to come riding over the hill… again.

We need the same Dreamer that came down out of the trees with us so many years ago. Fortunately, that Dreamer walks among us still.

Our dreams bring hope. With hope, we can survive any uncertainty and face any challenge. New dreams are within our grasp. They will take our people into a newer, cleaner and greener future. With them, we can change our world, save ourselves, our children, and our grandchildren.

Accepting the challenge of our time will mean hard work for our people. We will have to abandon some of our old ways and conquer this uncertain world once more. Do we still have the courage to leave the world we know and face a new beginning?

Old habits do not break easily. Many are resisting the change already. However, change will come if we walk hand in hand with the Dreamer and show our brothers and sisters that it is better to stand in the wind and sunlight than to hide in the dark polluted shadows of our past.

I’m ready to accept the challenge… are you?