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|
EDGES MAGAZINE Issue |
October 1998 |
| .......Do
we really |
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| .......................care? |
The
following piece was written by a young man in one of our projects.
He wrote this while he was going through his detox in the community:
Do we deserve to live
on this planet when all we do is destroy it? Is it not selfish to
bring a child into this world when everything around us is either
destroyed or being destroyed? Do we give a damn about tomorrow's
world? Do we really care about anything or anybody else but
ourselves? Can we answer any of the above questions? The answer is
that we can try!
Man's primary concern is
self-preservation, whether he is faced with death, or whether he is
faced with finding his next meal. The human being is a survivalist
ever since the beginning of time, so he will kill, steal, beg or
borrow if he has to, but should he have to? The answer is a simple
NO; there is enough wealth in today's society for all to share, for
example - third world countries, the homeless and the less
fortunate. People of today's world are too greedy for their own
good; we are taught at a very young age that we should work hard at
school, go to college, then gain a full-time job where we can
provide for our families, drive a nice car, have a good holiday
abroad and not forgetting planning our retirement.
Are we
caught up in a materialistic world, or are we just plain selfish?
What happened to discovering things, what has happened to free
spirit, to do what we want, to roam the earth and discover and
create the pleasures of our lovely planet?
Do we not care
what is happening around us, that the earth is being destroyed, do
people not realise this earth cannot last another 1000 years at the
same rate of destruction as it has been subjected to? All around,
people are killing things that we need to survive; nuclear waste is
being found in rivers, trees are being felled all the time, and our
ozone layer is ever diminishing, once Antarctica melts its bye bye
earth, nothing will exist, the planet will be covered in water...
although should we be bothered, as it won't happen in our lifetime?
Of course we should; what about our children and their children and
their children. We evolve, so why should we destroy things of today
for the people of tomorrow?
When I was a child, I can
remember going for mammoth walks with my granddad. Things that don't
seem important to the everyday Joe, were taught to me on these
walks; simple things like the wind singing and dancing through the
trees, seeing the flowers dancing round on a fresh spring morning,
or feeling the rain sting your face in a rainstorm, watching the sun
begin its descent at dusk, watching the mist swirling around the
lake at early morning, smelling the different flowers from roses to
wild garlic. It is when you think about and witness these memories,
something happens to you, you can appreciate the little things in
life, like being alive and healthy, having food in your stomach and
being about to relax with yourself. I for one, enjoy spending time
on my own in the middle of nowhere, not everybody can do it but
everybody should try it - just once. When you cannot see anything
but your immediate surrounding, no cities, no cars, no noise, just
you and the elements, then you can really appreciate the small
things that can change your life. Out there you don't need your
mobile phone or fancy clothes or loads of cash, all you need is
peace, and there you can discover it! |
D.S. |
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