To attend is to atone

On Monday, CPX hosted the Richard Johnson Lecture with author, Tim Winton.

One of the things that surprised me most about the lecture was Winton’s attention to young people, what we’d call Gen Z, those born between 1995-2010. This generation will be the ones dealing with the extremes of climate change and are currently powerless to stop it. And they’re feeling it. Research out of Curtin University revealed that 81% of Gen Z are experiencing serious climate anxiety.

As Winton spoke to a room merely speckled with Zoomers, he labelled young people in spiritual terms, “Their voices are prophetic… Prophets try to shake us awake and that’s all these kids are doing. They’re in our faces, they’re blocking our path.”

“There are a lot of people under the age of 30 who are coming together, raising their voices, and placing their very bodies in the path of business as usual. And … these young Australians are routinely castigated by our politicians, and they’re vilified in the media.”

After the lecture, I stood next to Tim as he signed copies of his new book Juice. Many devotees – Boomers, Millennials, and Gen X-ers alike – approached holding tattered and well-loved copies of Cloud Street and Lachie Leonard along with small writings of their own. One young man, no older than 20, came forward with his younger brother holding his copy of Juice. “Thanks for saying how we’re all feeling, Tim,” he said as he handed over the book. A lump rose in the back of my throat, and I looked away, not wanting to disturb the moment as Tim spoke gently to him.

“To attend is to atone,” Tim said in the lecture, quoting poet Christian Wiman. Giving young people our attention, asking them questions. Attending. Perhaps that’s a good place to start.