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District 3830
 

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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