Dear Future Seth,

When you read this the year will be 2050. I am writing to you from the beginning of 2021, so twenty nine years will have passed for you. In that time I hope that you have made new friends and spent more time with family that share the values that are most important to you. These include staying healthy in mind, body, and spirit, choosing low-tech solutions, conserving energy, reducing/eliminating waste and making the most out of what we’ve been given.

From where I am currently, I have had very little experience travelling, speaking languages other than English, planting and raising vegetables, and with confronting death. I do not know what you will have experienced in the course of twenty nine years, but these are some of the things that I would want for you to have done, so that you can be more prepared for the world than I am today. I suspect that the future will be considerably different than it is today and more environmental and societal disasters will have occurred.

Although these hardships will seem overwhelming, we do not face them alone. We know that giving up is never an option, in whatever we do. I promise to you that I will continue to learn, question, and challenge myself and to not be complacent or silent when there is injustice in the world. We must use our experiences to make more informed decisions and to find that which brings us both happiness and purpose. I promise that I will pursue ways of thinking that align with our core values and ideas, and although I will falter and change through the years, I will stay true to not letting my emotions get the better of me.

Don’t be afraid to make the hard choices. Be a part of communities and always give back, and remember that there is always something worth fighting for.

Love, Seth