Millions
This is meant to be my LA Free Pick Essay. The idea just came out from the blue, and the more I wrote, the more I thought, and the more disgusted I became. Its kinda personal now, but nevermind, read it at your own risk.Millions
Dear Reader,
As you read my essay now, I would imagine you to be sitting in a room, under the comfort of an air-conditioner, reading these words under strong light from a fluorescent bulb above. I would also suppose that you are aware that the light and air from the respective appliances work on electricity, which is produced by burning of fossil fuels. And in this process, approximately 1 kilogram of greenhouse gases are sent into the air with every kilowatt-hour of electricity. This in turn leads to global warming- the reason why news of rising sea levels, bizarre weather, and increased occurrences of natural disasters are splashed across the daily newspapers.
I would also assume you know that the paper in front of your eyes comes from a tree, which will produce about 100 kilogram of paper. In Singapore alone, we have already used 1.24 million tonnes of paper in one year. With quick mental calculation, that amount of paper consumes over ten million trees. A million trees- a home to millions of creatures.
We, as human beings, may be the most intelligent species of all, but we are also the most selfish, greedy, and evil species. We cut down forests, burn harmful amounts of fossil fuels, hunt aggressively, mine unnecessarily, and cause pollution at every corner we turn, as if we own the whole world. We seem to forget that we share this Earth with 1.5 million other species of plants and animals, including another millions of species yet to be discovered. Every day, an estimated number of 100 plant and animals species are lost due to deforestation. In our selfish greed and hunger to consume every available natural resource on Earth, we are literally chasing the other 1.5 millions species off our planet. The sad part is that we do what we do not because we must, but because we are just too negligible to do otherwise.
It is ironic that the 6 thousand million people on this Earth cannot save 100 species of endangered animals. Even with such massive problems occurring world wide, we human beings choose to create more havoc, in the form of wars, conflicts, terrorism and violence in the name of money and power. Blinded by greed, it would not be shocking that by the end of the world, when all hell breaks loose (like in the movie ‘The Day after Tomorrow’), the human race would still be throwing bombs at each other in a hasty act of suspicion, attempting to secure their own resources while competing for the chance to be the last man standing, even when the world is coming to an end.
Obedient readers of the daily newspapers would have noticed that every week there would be at least one article related to global warming, or deforestation, or something which mankind has committed to harm the Earth. The proof of our actions is there, the numbers are all printed in black and white, yet these facts rarely register in our brains. We carry on blindly with our daily lives of work, work and work (at least most people do). Observant people would also notice the appearance of recycling bins all around the island. Even so, people still throw away precious recyclable materials in the wrong bins, oblivious to the fact that they are killing the planet slowly with each piece of rubbish they refuse to recycle.
We humans pride ourselves for our intelligence, our ability to express feelings, and our ability to communicate. But we use our intelligence to create high-tech weapons of destruction. We express feelings not of love or concern but of hatred and anger. And we communicate harsh and unkind words. We are taking advantage of our abilities, and using them against each other, is that how we want to live our lives? It is painful to imagine that if the human race really did come to an end, the future species who inhabit the Earth millions of years later would look back on us just like how we look back at dinosaurs, and say (if they can talk) “Stupid idiots! These human beings had the brains and the power. Yet instead of saving themselves, they kill each other and the planet. What a waste.”
I wrote this essay not to force everyone to live in darkness without electricity, or without paper, but to instead remind others that the world may come to an end if we continue to be distracted and forget that our Planet Earth is rotting away. This is a wake-up call for those who are still dreaming of eternal peace in a safe world. We should stop doing what is unnecessary and start doing what is most important for the world, and not just one country. With millions of minds working together with the same goal, we can save millions of trees, millions of species, and secure a stable planet for future generations of mankind for the next million of years.
posted by eileen @ 7:26 AM
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