Since the beginning of 2009, my dear hometown had been drenched in hostile waters.It has had experienced a few sunny days but in a span of a week, Cagayan de Oro had experienced severe flooding and a lot of people had been displaced due to high waters.
I know a lot of people might scorn me and tell me that I don’t have the right to blog about the floods since I have not experienced them first hand.Our house had not been among those which had been flooded since it is situated on an elevated area yet I have a lot of friends and some relatives who went through that deluge.I am not as cold-hearted as I seem because my heart goes out to all those who went through it.Besides, who would want to see one’s hometown suffering from such an undesired and unexpected calamity? Who would want to know that the river rafts normally used by people for adventurous adrenaline rush had been used as rescue boats? Who would want to know that children have gone missing and a person died because of the said disaster?
There had been many causes why CDO had been flooded.We just can’t blame the bad weather.Each of us is to blame for what caused it.All of us had been careless in taking care of our environment.Improper garbage disposal, air and water pollution, and non-conservation of energy and resources could be the root causes of such a disaster.Other more organized activities such as illegal logging, illegal quarrying and illegal mining can also be pointed as the culprits of destruction.
Blame it on the weatherman for not predicting such heavy rains to come…but then the weather is expected to change unexpectedly…It is fickle like a woman… Well, these floods are the results of our contributions to climate change.
Nobody wanted these floods to happen…but they did!
Can we keep on blaming other people?
NO.
Who is to blame?
Yourself.
Myself.
Ourselves.
We're all connected... In our own little ways we can help prevent disasters such as these to happen.
The very first time I've heard this song was when I was in grade school more than a decade ago...errr...but I am not that old yet... Hahaha!
Anyway, since then I've learned to love listening to Joey Ayala because his songs touch the core of the soul and express what has been, is still going on, and what is about to happen to man, the country, and the world.
I love this particular song since it speaks of how we are all connected not just with nature and the environment but also with each other. If we try to understand the song deeply, Joey already talked about environmental issues way back then...seems like none of us paid close attention since we are currently experiencing the dreaded climate change. It's unusually hot during the day and unusually cold at night. We experience dry spells during wet months and heavy rains during dry months. The usual climate patterns went nuts and even the meteorologists a.k.a. weathermen, have a hard time distinguishing what's going to happen next.
So what happens now? Playing the song is not enough. Talking about climate change in shows, forums and blogs is not enough. Donating money is not enough. Relying on people who only love talking about the issue and not doing their parts is never enough.
It has been said over and over that change begins within oneself. We are all aware that we are all connected and we should be constantly aware of that. I know you would not want to harm yourself... If you don't want something bad to happen to you, better not do anything which can harm others too. Yes, it's the same Golden Rule over and over and over again...
If you do not want the environment to harm you, better do your part in preserving it and nurturing it.
Every small thing you do counts.
Start by not throwing your candy wrappers just about anywhere... Stuff your garbage in your pockets instead when you can't find a garbage bin nearby and dispose of the garbage whenever you can do so properly.
Conserve water and energy. Close faucets tightly. Unplug unused appliances.
Don't smoke or use smoke-belching vehicles. You would not want to inhale bad air or do you?
Once or more in a week try commuting or riding a bike instead of driving your car. You can help minimize air pollution AND you can save money on gas.
Recycle. Make use of used stuff. You can create new stuff with old stuff. If you don't want your old clothes or things, donate them to people who can make use of them.
We may not be able stop the drastic changes in the environment but hey, let's not give up and throw in the towel. Just hope and pray that you will not reach a day in the future when you will regret that you never did a thing to help fight climate change.
