CE 131 WFQ: The Downward Spiral And The Climb Back Up

There’s a saying that goes “It is 10 times harder to command the ear than to catch the eye.” More often than not, we have remained indifferent to matters that apparently need our attention, even if they already hit us in between the eyes. Environmental issues have long been present and it is with the mentality that the risks imposed are not abruptly being introduced into our lives which seem to make us complacent with how things are, although we are incessantly reminded to change our precarious lifestyles. It is not until the consequences become irreversible that everyone starts carrying his own weight in resolving these problems. But even by then, we will have wasted our efforts to no avail as it will have already been too late.

Living in the city for the past years has been all but overrated. Sure it was very convenient but the reality is it was tough as time definitely took its toll on it. I have slight recollections as a child playing in the streets up to until 9 a.m. and still the sun would not be as harsh to the skin, soaking in the rain for as long as even two to three hours carefree of any sickness I might catch, and even sleeping through the night without even a need for a cool breeze to put me to sleep. But now, we have greatly suffered the repercussions of our way of living. And many say that the resolution is not very likely, yet perhaps is still possible. We hold on to a dwindling sense of hope that we can turn the tables and bring about a divine intervention with this situation.

We have been experiencing the full effect of the rapidly changing environment. The Philippine topography plus the fact that we are a developing country makes it more difficult for us to stand our ground. Some may say we lack the necessary resources to find a resolution but what we need to understand is that just because the solutions of problems are not visible at any particular time does not mean that those problems will never be alleviated or confined to tolerable dimensions. But is it really the lack of, or even just the inadequacy of solutions that is in need of evaluation here? The more pressing issue is our inability to move on our own volition to induce even small changes in our lifestyles to continually efface the problem. Many do not even see the exigency of having the motivation to start picking up after themselves. We are so dependent on other people, especially the powerful and the more knowledgeable to devise the necessary solutions. We are quick to point fingers to whom we think must act upon or take full responsibility for the problem yet we fail to realize that when we blame others, we give up our power to change.

Our little contributions in making a more inhabitable earth make a substantial difference. We think the world is too big and we, as small as we are in comparison to the earth, could not possibly influence any lasting effect on it. We overlook the problem because we think it is not a matter of consequence to us anyway. We do not realize that we have been the greatest detriment to the environment and at the same time the greatest deterrent in resolving the situation.

The documentary has presented many evidences of the deteriorating state of the Philippine environment, of which some have been outrageously disturbing and are worsening to date. We

have put more pressure on ourselves despite the fact that we are economically a struggling nation thus; we perpetuate the problems that have long existed and make them even more difficult to cope with. It is undeniable that a large percentage of the problem can be credited to the highly-developed countries. But that does not mean that we can slack off and start putting the weight of the whole environmental revolution on their shoulders. All of us have as much responsibility to this earth as every right we have to live on it and that is what many of us fail to recognize.

We squander our resources and act without reservation. We walk the earth with the idea that it has a life of its own. We need to reevaluate how much we are contributing to this problem and develop effective mitigations, even something as simple as being a frugal spender or purchasing items that are eco-friendly. We should care for the earth as much as we would our own body – treating it like a temple rather than a theme park.

Education is vital in this process as it is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance. It has been the lack of social awareness that has instigated this propaganda of apathy through the ages. It is by imparting the knowledge of what can happen, what must be done and how it will imminently benefit all of us that will influence other people to induce change in the spiraling ecological status of the earth. Then if all will pay it forward, we may be able to slowly reassure the existence of future generations and ultimately save ourselves from a lot of shoulda-woulda-coulda’s. As Gandhi best explains it "BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD"