Redeeming an Ephemeral but Amaranthine Beauty

By Ralph Niere
She’s beautiful. She’s just spinning out there wearing her elegant blue robe patched with intrinsic puzzle-like designs. From a distance, she’s the tiny blue dot amidst the great, dark, spotted smoke that almost as if engulfing her. If we look at her from the inside, she’s even more beautiful. She’s filled with an array of creatures swarming all over her. They are very lucky, the creatures – and I’m one of them.

We are very lucky. We are blest with this awesome privilege to marvel at this timeless beauty. Timeless beauty, eternal splendor, immortal magnificence – that’s what she is. However, believe it or not, there will be a moment when she will be gone – when time ends, when eternity vanishes, when immortality dies. The whole universe will mourn after that day. Unlucky are the creatures that live when that will happen! She is all we’ve got. Without her, there is nothing.

The world getting hotter, water becoming warmer, ice melting, diseases infesting everyone, droughts and storms everywhere, I mean, isn’t it obvious? If Titanic would have set its maiden voyage today, it will arrive in New York in no time. Maybe, this is why Santa’s appearing in nowhere when it is Christmas – the North Pole is melting, how can he manage to make all those toys? I will not be surprised if the heads carved on Mount Rushmore will vanish – with all this acid rain! It is very obvious. Something is going on!

Seriously, we are in serious trouble. New problems sprout from this huge, age-old problem. Diseases continue to inflict and terrorize people of any race. Precious time is running out. She needs our help. Once, she was there when we needed her. Now, she needs us as much as we need her. Who are we to abandon her? Together we can help her.

Lately, we have been very proud on our technological advancements. Can’t we use these so-called “advancements” to upgrade those smoke-belching factories, power plants and other infrastructures we have? Can’t we use them to create a machine that can reduce, if not recycle, worn-out materials? Can’t we use our modern technology to help her? Yes we can, of course we can, and yes we will because we should and we must!

Pollution is not the only problem; total starvation is being suffered by many of our fellow individuals. Droughts, which behave like mad dogs unleashed from their cells, bully every square centimeter of land turning it into arid, dehydrated, cracked lumps. If not that, Storms, tornados and hurricanes terrorize every nook and cranny of the planet bringing deadly flash floods, fatal landslides and breath-taking whirlwinds to whomever and whatever comes to their way. Destroying crops and vegetation is what they do best. Can we call this beauty?

As minutes become days and days become months and months become years, she is loosing her beauty. We are almost loosing the majestic mountains of grass or ice towering way over us. With the exotic animals, the vast blue oceans and its treasures are endangered. Even the sophistication of sunrises and sunsets are slowly becoming ordinary. We do not want to loose all these. Maybe the reason of these sluggish fading is that we do not value it anymore.


Why do we set our eyes on the Moon, even on Mars? We did not even share a glimpse on our lovely home. Man has landed on the Moon. He sent space probes to Mars. He sent huge telescopes up in space to take pictures of the universe beyond. What a shame! We did not even notice how the temperature on Earth rises dramatically, how nature is beginning to expose her weaknesses and how flocks of diseases infect almost every living creature on Earth. Are we blind? No, and even if we are, blinds feel what is going on!

For every minute we use to cast our sights to the endless space, we waste important time. Time is running out! We have to do something! Will we wait until the water rises twenty feet? No! We know what to do. We are the wisest creatures in this world. The catch is, someone should always be there to grasp the problem and wave it back and forth right in front of our bulging eyes for us to take action! Are we going to follow the fate of the dinosaurs? No! We can do this. We can save this timeless beauty. We can preserve this eternal splendor. We can resurrect this immortal magnificence so that we and billions of generations after us will be able to savor this privilege we currently marvel.
 

Summer Has Begun - Finally!

By Ralph Niere
Ten months it has been, and now it’s finally, but temporarily, over. Months of hard work and strenuous, mind-bogging activities are done. At last, summer is here! (I’ve been wanting to say that.) Vacation has finally begun, and what a start of summer it was; what an outing it was! The carefree aroma of the beach, the ever-changing music of the ocean and the kaleidoscopic scenery of variegated people made me forget those ten months at school. The start of summer was amazing.



The whole of our section joined this outing. And, I believe that the delight was felt not only by me but by all of us who joined it. We took pleasure in the different but never separate ways. Some immediately carelessly immersed themselves in the crystal bluish-white waters of the ocean. Some enjoyed themselves by hitting and smashing balls over the net. Some, particularly me, satisfy themselves by consuming just a little bit of the food. Some gave themselves pictorials and, click here, click there, getting pictures everywhere. Still, some just let their eyes wander anywhere getting the pleasure of the relaxing scenery surrounding them. Isn’t that great or what!

Honestly, that was my first outing ever, but, wow, that was enjoying. The smiles carved in all of our faces were infectious; somehow, you will smile too. I also smiled when I saw our section so united it made my heart leap. I never dreamed the outing would be like this; I never knew outings are this important. Because of this outing, our hard works are being paid off. Because of this outing, the end of the school year and the start of summer became memorable and unforgettable. Most importantly, because of this outing, we are one.