As beautiful and heroic as this young woman’s words are, a simple fact stands entirely naked before us: It is impossible to effect the changes necessary for ecological and human survival in the midst of supercultures eternally poised for war, prisoneering, ecological rape, profit, and wage-slavery.

We cannot speak meaningfully of problems with human population growth while blatantly ignoring the staggering explosion of machines and toxic objects that our cultures delusionally thrive on the making and exchange of.

We must as a worldwide humanity recognize the urgent necessity of completely reforging our collectives toward humanity, awareness, intelligence, equality and responsibility.

It is long past time that we as a species turn from technological and market-driven development, to social and ecological intimacy, and the fact that there is not enough time left only renders this task more urgent — for if we will not do it willingly, crisis will force it upon us, and by that time, catastrophe will be the driving force, rather than passion, meaning and inspiration.

And if we wait for catastrophe to force our hand… the results will be lethal and horrific. So we cannot wait for a model or leader to draw us into this most urgent of necessities. We must become the roads. Together. Now.