| Kuro-kuro Ko Lamang |
by: Rtn.
Chuck Montecillo
Our environment is falling apart around us.
Pollution is at an all time high and there is
very little effort to remedy the problem. Sure,
there are initiatives on cleaning the air, land
and water, but overall, the effort is practically
non-existent.
During the early sixties and seventies, in the US
and UK, people resisted the use of seat belts
with great opposition. That kind of opposition
exists today, here in the Philippines and other
Asian countries. Millions of dollars were spent
on advertising campaigns to promote the use of
safety belts to no avail. Not to mention the
thousands of lives lost in accidents that could
have been drastically different if only the belts
were employed.
The effects of nuclear and biological weapons
testing have been well documented and publicized,
yet the testing and sale of such weapons go on to
the detriment of the environment and human life.
Warfare and inhuman treatment of prisoners and
civilians continue to rage on, even in our
neighborhoods.
Endangered species lists are getting longer and
the depletion of natural resources haven't gotten
any better. Still, hunting and poaching continue
and we still waste water and cut down trees like
there was an endless supply.
My question is, why do we people of this earth
continue with our lives as if none of these
atrocities even exist? To quote a line from the
movie "Men in Black", "People as
individuals are smart and intelligent. Put these
same individuals in a group, they become
stupid." (I may not have quoted the line
perfectly, the idea stays the same -Ed-)
Upon hearing that line, I must say that I agreed
with it wholeheartedly. I remember a documentary
which featured a psychological test which showed
the effects of peer pressure. The test went like
this:
In the room, there were about 5 to 6 actors
pretending to be test subjects. The one
"real" subject was then included with
this group. Under the pretense that the test was
an "eye" exam, the subjects were
instructed to answer questions regarding flash
cards that were shown to the group. The actors
always answered incorrectly. That was the set-up.
They wanted to see how the test subject would
react to the group.
At first, the real subject answered with
confidence in opposition to the other group
members. But, slowly, the subject began to lose
this confidence, until eventually answering the
same way as the rest of the group, despite his
better judgement. Time and again, subject after
subject, people eventually "followed"
the group.
As human beings, we really tend to do
"stupid" things. Despite all the
knowledge that we possess, we continue to do the
"wrong" thing, just because the
majority sees it fit. Sure, things get
complicated. There is always a good reason for
why things are the way they are, but, all
complicated things and situations are just a
compilation of simple events and situations. We
have common sense as individuals, but
collectively, we have none.
As all creatures of this earth evolve to better
survive the environment, human beings have been
getting closer to one day eradicating our species
along with all other species as well as mother
earth! Our lives seem easier with our
technological advances, but in reality, we just
digging a deeper hole, more difficult from which
to get out. The price we pay for our
"conveniences" is just too high, and we
WILL have to PAY.
If the were a sign saying that you were about to
hit a brick wall, wouldn't you do everything in
your power to avoid the wall? Look around, the
signs are everywhere. Are we going to just hit
the wall or shall we avoid it?
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