The Ignorance Of Humanity
One enchanting spring evening, my family decided to take a drive down a rural road. My dad rolled down the windows and I stuck my head out to get a better view of the upcoming sunset. With the wind in my hair, I witnessed an illegal act happen just ahead of me. The car in front of mine rolled down their windows and casually tossed out a plastic cup. I was at the age where it did not personally affect my integrity- I hardly knew what littering was. However, as time went on, I was introduced to the idea of a declining world and it became very important to me to take action and stop global destruction. Since that incident, I have encountered several more acts of similar sorts of law-breaking.
In seventh grade, we began to learn about how our acts of ignorance have affected the world around us. Global warming, the sea rising, species dying, forests burning down, and many other catastrophic events, were all a result of our actions. It was very hard to believe that humans were consciously devastating the planet, and yet continued to do so without even an attempt to change. The apathy I witnessed from everyday people made me nervous for the times to come. My passion towards saving the environment really developed in eighth grade as we continued to learn about similar subjects. My anxiety turned into anger because I could not understand why humans continue to destroy their homes without any sense of remorse. It was incredibly simple to me: stop using plastic, start using solar power, and try to care about the Earth around you. The lack of people who seemed to genuinely care about these issues was at an all time high and it made me furious.
Every time I felt conflicted, I went to my older sister to rant. After a long day of being educated in the ways we were swiftly destroying the planet, I headed straight to my sister’s room. I tried to explain what I had learned, and I suggested that we should begin being more considerate. I can recall one time in particular when she, obviously annoyed, turned to me and said, “Essie, I want to live my life to the fullest. Constantly worrying about saving the world is not how I want to live. Nothing is going to affect me in my lifetime, so who cares?” I was shocked! I tried to explain to her that it might not affect her, but it would hurt countless others to come. Despite my efforts, she continued to be stubborn. I was appalled by the fact that someone older and wiser than myself could be so backwards.
It is the air we breathe and the atmosphere in the skies that make Earth compatible. The simplest things are under threat from humanity, even from our own brothers and sisters. One quote on humanity that I find to be favorable is “the entire human race or the characteristics that belong uniquely to human beings, such as kindness, mercy and sympathy” (Yourdictionary. com). I find this ironic because human beings have no mercy or sympathy for the Earth, the place we call home. I believe we should care about the world, even if what we do now is not going to affect us in our lifetime. What we do now will affect many other people; including our own children, and our grandchildren, and our family legacy is cut short. I believe everyone should be educated, and inspired to help the world. We are selfish beings, and we should be wise enough to be able to look past ourselves, and into the future.
