There are many obstacles the environmental movement needs to overcome in order to achieve any part of its mission, but a serious one to contend with is defeatism, or cynicism. Just as bad as pretending that everything is fine is to accept that climate change is a serious problem, only to raise your hands in despair and say “It’s too late! We’re doomed!” (Although I completely understand the impulse, and there’s more news all the time to reinforce that worldview.)
Enter Kaeley Pruitt-Hamm (no relation, I hope), a climate activist who also suffers from Environmental Illness. The struggle is real, and very personal, for Kaeley, and she is clearly not giving up any time soon. “Been to the Future” reminds us that for those of us who are trying to keep the planet livable, we must act as though our victory is certain. That future exists, and we are just working to make it a reality. Of course, it must be acknowledged that the definition of “winning” will change. Life on Earth will almost certainly suffer serious warming and some horrific consequences, no matter what we do. But the world where we give up and do nothing is, without question, a much worse place than the world where we fight like hell to end our addiction to fossil fuels as soon as humanly possible and limit the damage. This song is a beautiful statement – both musically and lyrically – in a very ugly time. Keep it close to your heart.