“In my twenty-two years of existence, there is nothing major, major problem, I mean major mistake that I have done...”
This was the famous answer of Maria Venus Raj during the Miss Universe Pageant, Q and A portion. Sounds funny yet this answer made Venus Raj very popular over the country. If I were to ask you that question, how would you answer it? Would you answer it differently? Or the same as Venus Raj did?
If given the chance to answer the question, as an environmentalist, I would do it this way: “The worst mistake that I have done was when I did not care for Mother Nature. I became oblivious; I was hurting her. I threw garbage anywhere. I never even planted trees. I was never loud about the plight of our environment.”
I, as a Homo sapien, have forgotten that the earth is the only home I’ve got. I even forgot that I have been the main cause of the earth’s problems. I have even become absent-minded that my mistakes, laziness and greed have caused destructions to nature. We humans haven’t been a creator, only a destroyer.
One immediate concern the world has been facing these past few years is global warming. We all know that it is the amplification of heat on the surface of the earth which resulted from burning of fuels, indiscriminate disposal of non-biodegradable wastes, forest destructions, etc. Doesn’t our conscience bother us whenever we cut trees? Don’t we feel any guilt when we throw our garbage anywhere?
Now, the ones suffering are the human beings, simply because of their own making. People nowadays are savoring the wrath of Mother Nature — melting ice caps, increasing water levels, earthquakes, forests fires, heat wave, extremely dangerous tsunamis like the one that hit Japan last March earlier this year that caused more than 10,000 lives to perish. Lastly, typhoons and heavy rainfalls resulting to life-threatening floods; like the one that happened in Iligan City and Cagayan de Oro City on the early dawn of December 17, 2011. The typhoon which was named “Sendong” raged as it passes the two cities of Northern Mindanao wiping the houses out along its way, properties were also destroyed. Private owned cars, public jeepneys, trucks and vehicles were carried and turned upside-down by the strong current of the flood caused by the typhoon. The current was fortified by the massive amount of mud carried by the water as it flowed downhill. The saddest thing about the calamity is, hundreds of lives were taken and mostly, children were the victims of the typhoon “Sendong.”
Over the last four decades, the two cities haven’t encountered such strong typhoons and it was such an unexpected tragedy to happen. Residents of Iligan City never thought the flood would take place since according to some residents of the said city; the rain had stopped before the flood raged. Now, the National Bureau of Investigation reported 1,000+ casualties. Furthermore, NBI said that the main cause of the flash flood is illegal cutting of trees of the neighboring provinces of the two cities.
There is only one way to solve all of these. Let us be sensitive! Let us love Mother Nature so that we’ll not lose the one we love. Let us help one another. Let’s have unity among us. Let us learn to love our only home, the earth. Let this be our tribute to the loving memories of the victims and especially to Mother Nature.
As my personal response to Mother Nature’s plight, from now on, I’ll be very careful about disposing my garbage — an application of what I’ve learned from my Science classes – Re-use, Reduce and Recycle (3R’s). The 3T’s as well: Tree planting, Tree caring and Tree growing. At least, in my own little way, I can say, “I care!”
What about you?
