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Tuesday, June 21, 2005
Speak out: Our children’s future
By Gloria Estenzo Ramos
Everyday, I ask myself this question: At the rate we are destroying nature and people, will there still be a future for our children?
I fear for them and the generations after. Man’s inhumanity to man and nature is taking its toll on all inhabitants of the planet.
Water is getting scarce. We breathe the invisible but toxic air. Our
rivers are dying and so are the seas and the oceans. Nil harvest for our farmers and fisherfolk.
We have become used to seeing garbage irresponsibly thrown in the streets and sidewalks. Children dying from poisoned food. Trees are vanishing. People are killed while sleeping.
We play God. We dominate our own little space in this dying world. We pretend that we have unlimited supply of resources for us to consume and exploit. We pretend that we own and control these God-given resources. We pretend we own the world and the people’s lives as well.
We pretend that we care for our planet and our children. But are we?
We have destroyed our trees – the lungs of our ecosystem.
The water crisis that we now experience is of our own doing. Without the trees, there will be no abundant water for our watersheds to store when rains come.
We sweat as the heat and humidity in the air, thanks to our unsustainable lifestyles. We overuse plastic bags and non-recyclables that end up mixed with hospital and hazardous wastes in the uncovered dumps that sustain the scavengers and serve as playgrounds for rodents.
Yes, we do not care or are still in denial. Worse, we continue to
pretend that everything is all right.
Our children are the innocent bystanders, the victims of our transgressions of the laws of nature and the man-made laws meant to protect us from our own selves – our greed and lust for power and riches. Or simply, our indifference.
The Rule of Law is meant to create order in society and regulate behavior. Taxpayers pay billions of pesos for our legislature to exist and make our laws. But the executive branch of government fails to enforce them.
There is too much politics in major decisions that affect the children’s future and the sustainability of life.
National laws and ordinances cannot be implemented – or are literally killed, at the grass roots level – because the local leaders think that enforcing the laws and imposing sanctions will mean less votes for them. It could also be that they do not understand their role in governance.
Laws are meant to serve the interest of the majority of our people, including our children who Government is tasked to serve and protect.
But, how would our leaders know what the needs of the constituents are
when they are not in touch with the people and vice versa?
The Law is meant to make people participate in governance. Either we do not understand our role or are simply too busy trying to make a living for our self and our family.
We expect government to wave its magic wand and make miracles. We readily blame it for its gross inefficiency, misguided priorities, and ostentatiously irrelevant projects.
It takes two to tango, they say – that is true for environmental governance, especially. We are all connected.
Are we doing our individual share to strengthen the link; leave a legacy to the future generation so their world will be better than ours?
(June 21, 2005 issue)
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Today, we tell our children we love them. Do we? |
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