Manor Ink July 2020

10 | JULY 2020 | MANOR INK VIEWPOINT
Future for young adults a mixture of concern
In the four months since the COVID-19
pandemic arrived in this country,
much about our lives has changed.
Things we took for granted – dining
out, going to the movies or a concert, visiting
with friends and relatives, taking a bus
or boarding an airplane, spending the day
in the park or on the lake – now seem like
indulgences that are not only off limits, but
are also dangerous to our health and that
of loved ones.
These changes have especially affected
the younger members of our society.
Students who lost out on the final months
of the academic year when schools were
closed in an effort to slow the spread of
the contagion, now face the possibility that
they may not return to their classrooms
in the fall. College graduates entering the
work force are finding that there are far
fewer jobs now than when they began their
degrees. The economic future looks grim,
and the potential for a reemergence of the
coronavirus seems increasingly likely.
To learn how young adults view the
future for themselves and their generation,
Manor Ink solicited essays from five people
under 25. Here’s what they told us.
Iris Gillingham | 20, Program Associate, Livingston Manor
THE ‘COVID’
GENERATION
Do we want to go back to what was
“normal”? Normal is a reality created
by modern society and practice. What
is being highlighted by this pandemic is
an immensely flawed system that leaves
communities burdened with income
inequality, racial injustice and acts of
destruction on our environment. I do
not want to “go back” to normalized
injustice.
COVID-19 blew open the doors to
how unstable our food, environmental,
economic and medical systems
had become. This is an
opportunity to ask ourselves,
“How do we want to live?”
These systems were already cracking.
Do we want to patch the leaks when we
have the opportunity to re-vision?
In school, I was studying emergence
and adaptation related to climate and
social justice. I started expanding on
these topics in my classes because I felt a
need to understand how our communities
could be more resilient and adaptable
while facing climate change.
What I have found is that vision and
LEARN MORE
Find information about Catskill
Mountainkeeper’s efforts to move
away from fossil fuels, transform
the state’s food system and
advocate for the Catskill region at
catskillmountainkeeper.org.
community connections are vital in supporting
change. We can choose to foster
a connection to our resources, where
our food is grown and what business we
support and grow through sustainable
community practices.
I realize that any plans for my future
and education will have to be emergent,
meaning they will have to evolve with
the world around me, not in spite of
what is happening. I will no longer accept
people saying, “That’s just the way
it’s done.” Change is necessary, even if it
is uncomfortable. Having seen our town
band together through many devastating
floods, fires and losses, I know that
Livingston Manor is strong and capable.
Now is the time to begin envisioning
FUTURE VISION Advocating for change, Iris Gillingham speaks during a rally on the steps
of the capitol building in Augusta, ME. Yoi Ashida photo
the kind of world you want to be a part
of creating. Livingston Manor and Sullivan
County have the opportunity to ask
young people to return and be involved
in redesigning our economy, jobs,
schools, and agriculture. Our actions,
moving forward, will speak louder than
our words. If our generation is going to
be known for anything, let us be known
for transformation! Let’s be known for
addressing the issues we see, and planting
seeds that will continue to grow.
Iris Gillingham is a former Editor-in-
Chief of Manor Ink and is currently a Program
Associate at Catskill Mountainkeeper.
Marlee Madison | 17, LMCS graduate, Livingston Manor
This world we’ve lived in for our
entire lives now seems foreign to us.
We cannot go outside without wearing
a mask or protective equipment. For
students, school was cut short, and as
a senior, I had to see a lot of things go
earlier than anticipated.
Now, I’m not writing to complain
that I didn’t get to go to my last prom
or anything. What’s more important to
me are the people that I didn’t get to say
goodbye to. My teachers and my friends
who are underclassmen did not get the
proper farewell I would have liked to
have given them. For those people, I
would like to say thank you for your
constant support and for making me the
person I am today.
Now, on to the future. As I wrote
before, it seems as though it’s a foreign
world. For me, that’s mostly because I
have spent my life up until this point in
high school and living
with my parents, and I
haven’t spent much time
(or any time) living alone
and fending for myself.
That’s already a daunting
task, even without
worrying about a global
pandemic.
But to me, these things seem trivial
Marlee
Madison
compared to other world issues. Sure,
living on my own seems challenging,
but at least I am living and breathing.
As a white person, I don’t have to fear
for my life when I walk down the street.
I don’t have to be scared of losing my
life in my own home at the hands of the
people who are supposed to be protecting
me. I do fear, however, that I am
not doing enough for the people who
are less privileged than I because of the
color of their skin.
As members of society, we have the
power to choose whether our contributions
help or harm people. What we do
with our lives affects everyone around
us, so I have to make sure I am doing
everything in my power to help and
support everyone around me. Enough
harm is being done in this world already,
so pouring some kindness into
it is the least anyone can do. Our voices
matter, and we must speak up for what
is right.
For anyone going out into this world,
please remember to be kind to everyone.
Even if someone is not being so nice to
you, respect them and be nice, because
they could have a lot more going on
than you know.
And to those who are graduating and
are fearful of what life may bring, we’ve
got this. I believe we can make it in this
crazy world, we just need to take it one
step at a time.
Marlee Madison is the former Editor-in-
Chief of Manor Ink. She will be attending
the Fashion Institute of Technology in the
fall.