The Boiling Frog

I am sure most of you know about the story of the boiling frog. In case you don't, let's me brief you on it. Once there was a big fat frog, he sat in pot containing nice cool fresh water. The frog is well contented feeling safe and unharmed. Because the water is slowly boiling, the frog never noticed the temperature change and hence slowly got cooked. This story is a metaphor to what is happening to us.

For eons, Mother Nature has prospered. Hundred of millions of years, she bore her children in harmony. Each creature living with her followed one golden rule: leave things as they found them. All creatures, great or small, lived and died without breaking that rule. They left nothing behind and created nothing extra. That harmonious obedience was broken by a new creature with the highest consciousness or intelligence: Man.
Man has the freedom of thinking and of doing. Mother Nature entrusted him with this power to do good. Unfortunately she was betrayed. And Man uses his power for self-indulgence and ultimately self-destruction and the destruction of all goodness on Earth.

Look at the news media, what do you see? Murder, shooting, rape, arson, kidnapping, flood, tornadoes, etc...
Pretty depressing isn't it? We are expected to be shocked, sadden, worried, hopeless, and so on... There are a myriad of "good" news which may actually make us feel better. But we don't see them because they are not news-worthy.

Why is it that way? Because Man is conditioning himself to this chaotic view of this world which is becoming his new reality!
Look at the TV shows, what do you see? The glorification of mindless celebrities practicing insane and immoral acts. The magnification of violence, war, religious extremism, terrorism, and all the negative deeds humanly perceivable. This is the world our children is taught to see. This has become the new "norm".

At the peak of his heights, Man created the Plastic. Plastic is the cheapest and the most durable product for the everyday use. We use plastic for everything. One-time use plastic items such as bags, cups, plates, containers, utensils are so convenient. Just use them and toss them away. And "voila!" we don't think about it anymore. Unfortunately, plastic does not really go away!

Unlike other materials such as cotton, wood, metal, and glass, plastic is not natural and stays in the environment for over hundreds of years. Bottles made with Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET or PETE) will stay forever. Each day, millions of tons of plastic products are created and eventually dumped somewhere. Where do they go when we throw them away? Many end up in the Oceans. There is an area in middle of the Pacific Ocean filled with tons of trash, mainly plastic. It is estimated to be the size of the United States. This area of plastic trash is not just an eye-sore but an environmental disaster slowly killing all creatures that cross its path - including us. Those plastics are broken down into small particles and are eaten by marine animals which in turn end up on your dinner plates. And most likely you have already ingested plastic particles from your last meal! All in the name of Convenience!

As man modernizes, he destroys all that Nature creates. He pollutes the air, the ocean, the water with tons of toxic chemicals and radio active wastes. He alters the landscape by building dams and clearing forests. His creations destroy the very ecosystems which he relies on for self-survival. Talking about shooting at your own foot! He covers up his trash in mountains of dirt or sends them to impoverished countries. He blames his failures on others, he seeks correction from others. He fixes his problem by covering them up or by burying them in his neighbor's backyard. He goes home to his neatly cultivated garden and clinically cleaned home and pretends everything is great. He stays in denial at any proof or sign of the destruction he has caused. The short-sighted man ignores his own demise and the demise he has caused for all.

Look around you and observe the destruction of Nature: Deforestation, coral bleaching, iceberg melting, extinction of species, deadlier diseases, droughts, deadly heat waves, monster storms, green house effect, famine, then war. If mankind is not extinct due to war, it will be extinct due to inhabitable environments.

Man is so imploded in his short-sighted thinking. As he ponders on the stock market, on material wealth accumulation and luxurious lifestyle, on the next car model, he does not even realize that he is already on a free fall to extinction. It is disturbingly similar to the frog's story. As his environment deteriorates, Man looks at it and thinks it's the new "norm". And therefore does nothing about it.

Let me put it bluntly, yes it is too late. The beautiful Heaven-like image of Earth where Man lives in perfect harmony with Nature is gone. Even if Man is removed from Earth right now, his traces of destruction will still be seen centuries to come. The Earth that existed before Man came is gone. Many species have gone extinct because of Man and many more to follow. Earth's landscapes have changed. The Earth's Oceans, lands, rivers have changed. Man has permanently changed the face of Earth. The domino effect has started.

Man has recklessly chosen to abuse this power without taken responsibility. His ignorance turns into insanity. We are now inheriting the destruction from our previous generations and are causing even more destruction for our future ones. As we continue to pretend everything is fine, we are slowly cooked like the frog. We need to wake up.

We must stop the destruction. Man must use his intelligence to innovate and help restore the whole balance of life on Earth and maybe save his own fate. Man must follow the golden rule: leave things as he found them. Man has to cleanup the mess he left behind and ensure that what ever he creates does not cause further destruction.