Editorial: 50 years later, the Clean Water Act is under assault
I’m sitting, as always, at a table in a restaurant across from my office. It’s lunchtime, so I am the only one at the table, but I know it’s open because I can hear people around me start eating. I can’t hear a word they’re saying. I hear them before I even realize they’re there. When I start to hear them, it’s as though they’ve taken up residence in the kitchen. I’m not sure if they’re trying to eat my food or they’re saying things to each other.
When you hear, you don’t want to listen. You don’t want to hear the voice in your head tell you the way things are. You want to hear the voice that says what’s the truth.
At the age of 50, you should have had that voice. All 50 of them. I know my voice used to be an authoritative voice, but I can no longer hear it. The problem is that most people who have their say don’t have a lot of time left to speak. They are busy, and they have too many other things going on in their lives. I’m not talking about all of them, of course. I’m talking about the ones that are close to 50.
You, the older person, can have the voice of authority. But, at 55, you’ve got to stop trying to use it and start using someone else’s. Then, maybe people will listen that way. Or you can try to be the voice for the younger people. But, you have to do a better job than they do.
We, as a generation, have never had an opportunity to learn how to use our voices. I really used to be very good at my voice. I used to be able to make my feelings known without having to spend a lot