(Reaction Paper)
I believe that we do not lack awareness. We just tend to continue living like hermit crabs that enclose themselves in their shells. But unlike these crustacean fellows, we do not use our shells for protection. We use them for avoidance. We do not want to get involved in the harsh truths that our environment is facing. We would rather isolate our senses from the reality regarding the present state of earth. Covering our ears, shutting our eyes, and locking our hearts are the things we are so good at. They say that the world is cruel. I say that we are the ones responsible on how it turned out to be that way. We are so reluctant to the mindset that we have long before this day. It is the belief that we’re all innocent, that we are the victims. But it’s actually the other way around. Yes, I admit, we are the most affected by the violent floods, raging fires, deadly storms, and all other types of destructions that Mother Nature seems to be throwing at our direction. We suffer from fatal diseases, experience shortage of clean food and water, and share with very little spaces for shelter. But who are we to complain about such things? We cannot deny the fact that we, too, are the causes of the problems I’ve said earlier. Let us not make this complicated, shall we? Here in our own country, the environment has already been taken for granted. Filipinos treated this environment as part of the typical or normal living that they forget and disregard its value to life. Filipino people are misusing and abusing the natural resources. That candy wrapper that your little brother threw away at side of the road, it’s the root of floods in Metro Manila. The faucet you didn’t close, before rushing to your company meeting, leaves many citizens in different parts of the country, thirsty. The paper that an FEU student crumpled without even writing on it, and just throws it away like nothing, is the actual cause of solid waste