Taking a stand requires guts. I'm learning about this as I sit in the dark. The only light source flickers from a television screen - all in order to recreate a cinematic experience. Too bad I don't have any BOSE speakers for sense-surround.
The crowd cheers as the hero squirms in his shackles. His face contorts in agony as medieval scythes work furiously to open up his abdomen to display his bloodied innards, disemboweling him. He muffles his grunts. His eyes shuts tightly. The scene becomes too cruel for the spectators. A lady shouts out for mercy. The crowd agrees.
"Just say it," prompts the inquisitor. "Ask for mercy."
The hero breathes heavily, frequently gasping, as if each breath taken holds a dose of anesthetic to relief the pain. The crowd continues to mummer amongst themselves. Mercy.
His friends and brothers-in-arms who look on helplessly mutter the same. Mercy. Mercy.
"The prisoner wishes to say a word." announces the inquisitor to the crowd.
They fall silent, listening. Our hero struggles to speak; to breath. His pain is immense. Excruciating. The inquisitor listens intently, eager to make out the word. Mercy.
And then with a final deep breath, our hero bellows a message for his countrymen. A message he fought hard and long to uphold. A message that would forever change the destinies of England and Scotland.
"FRREEEDDDOOOMMM!"
The inquisitor shakes his head. There is a brief look of defeat and resignation. He signals to the executioner, who brings the heavy axe down with brute force. Mercy.
Too bad I don't have BOSE speakers indeed.
***
In the pages of history, litter many names of ordinary people who had the courage to stand up to injustice and for what they believed in. Names like Mahatma Gandhi who led India to independence from their British masters, and Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela who fought to end racial segregation in America and South Africa respectively. These names have forever altered the course of humanity. Never again does it look like we'll ever tread the same path.
As these revered personalities have proved, taking a stand can indeed be a very powerful decision. A decision that could lay the foundation for greater things to come even if the future lies unknown. What matters is the belief.
***
Today, many of us face another threat that needs to be fought, mainly the threat to our Earth. A threat to our environment. A threat to our home.
Already, we can feel the effects on our planet from what scientists have come to term: climate change. Due to vast amounts of carbon dioxide flooding the atmosphere, released from the massive energy consumption of our many activities, the Earth's temperature is rising resulting in unpredictable weather patterns. As I write, New Zealand is experiencing its worst snowfall in 50 years. The irony is when you realize the winter season ends in August.
Even in Singapore we can feel this change in weather. For starters, perhaps some you have noticed that it's definitely hotter than a decade ago? I have. I sweat bullets as soon as I’m out of the shower.
In fact, from 1987 - 2007, temperatures here have increased by 0.6°C. The 2008 report published by Dr. Ho, also cautioned of the likelihood of extreme rainfall and winds associated with tropical cyclones to rise as well. (Flash-floods ring a bell, anyone?) Meanwhile, the Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change (IPCC) in 2007 has projected a rise of 2.5°C by the end of the century.
0.6°C? 2.5°C? That’s it? I can practically hear your thoughts of ridicule. I’m psychic that way.
Imagine yourself running a fever at 37°C. That’s just 0.1 degrees above 36.9°C but yet it makes a difference. Your body starts feeling lousy, your eyes begins to heat up. You just don’t feel too good. Now think back to when you were down with a 39.5°C fever - that’s 2.5°C above body temperature. Horrible wasn’t it? Exactly. Our Earth is sick and in need of treatment. Fast.
***
"In pushing other species to extinction, humanity is busy sawing off the limb to which it is perched."
~Paul Ehrlich
The last mass extinction occurred some 65 million years ago. The victims were the dinosaurs. In these last few decades, history has begun repeating itself once more.
The National Wildlife Federation states that "every day an estimated 100 plant and animal species are lost to deforestation [and] a conservative estimate of the current extinction rate indicates that about 27,000 species a year are being lost."
Despite some disagreement to the exact figures, Stephen Hopper, director of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, London, said "we cannot sit back and watch plant species disappear - plants are the basis of all life on Earth, providing clean air, food and fuel. All animal and bird life depend on them, and so do we." The research released to prompt such a statement indicated that some 20% of the Earth's 380,000 species of plants face extinction. For those without a calculator or who never got through primary school, that's 76,000 species.
How's that for scary?
In the summary of Dr. John Lawton's research paper published in 1994, the main point is this: if we lose one species, be it plant or animal, we may well lose an entire ecosystem, and we may never get it back. Fair warning.
***
With the swell of the global population sprinting exponentially higher each year, we are now walking on thin ice for the survival of our own existence, depending on a finite amount of resources that are running low.
Despite the temptation to exploit - to claim all the remaining resources for ourselves - we must beware of one thing: all life is interconnected; in part, even non-life. Maybe now it makes sense that Saint Francis of Assisi gently addressed everything in life as either his brother or sister. Guess he wasn’t as loopy as everyone thought huh?
To selfishly cause the extinction of one species is to cause a domino-effect that ripples through the ecosystem eventually reaching, and harming, us. It is for this reason that it becomes necessary to take a stand today - to minimize or stop our contribution and to let our home heal.
We are all interconnected - the planet, the animals, the plants. And that includes us. The sooner we acknowledge it, take responsibility for our actions and make amends, the sooner we can begin to save ourselves.
So screw up your courage. Have some guts. Take a stand. And change the destiny of our planet. You can do it.
Mother Earth, our home, needs you.
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NOTICE:
On Sunday, the 28th of August '11, the Animal Concerns Research and Education (ACRES) society is hosting a free concert at Hong Lim Park (Speaker's Corner) at 4.30pm to raise awareness for 25 wild bottlenose dolphins that now face a life of boredom, stress, claustrophobia and even death as part of Resorts World Sentosa new attraction. To date, out of the 27 wild-caught dolphins, 2 of their members have passed away. There is still time to save the remaining 25 from a life of captivity and exploitation. You can find out more details about the concert at this link; to read more on the campaign, click here.
Needless to say, I will be attending the event to take a stand against their capture and in support for the movement.
It's time to let the dolphins go.
What about you? Will you show them mercy by indirectly putting them to the axe or will your mercy be shown by your courage in taking a stand to set them free?
Perhaps I'll see you there.
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Have you ever wanted to or ever taken a stand for something you strongly believe in? What current campaigns are you interested in? Do you have any thoughts on the article? What ideas do you think ACRES could use in their bid to free the dolphins? What are your experiences with global warming? Do you think we are all interconnected? Feel free to share your thoughts, experience or opinions below.
And thanks for reading!
Cheers,
~Kerry
References
1. Associated Press in Wellington, 2011. New Zealand blizzards 'heaviest in 50 years'. Guardian.co.uk. Accessed 16th Aug '11.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/aug/15/new-zealand-snow-heaviest-years
2. Ho, J., 2008. Singapore Country Report - A Regional Review on the Economics of Climate Change in Southeast Asia.
3. IPPC, 2007. Climate Change 2007.
4. Chapter 3: Climate Change and Its Impact: A Review of Existing Studies. pp. 23 - 57. Accessed 16th Aug '11.
http://www.adb.org/documents/books/economics-climate-change-sea/Chapter03.pdf
5. Discovery News, 2010. 20 Percent of Plant Species Face Extinction. Accessed 17th Aug '11.
http://news.discovery.com/earth/plants-threatened-with-extinction.html
6. Web of Creation. Problem: Extinction of Plant and Animal Species. Accessed 17th Aug '11. http://www.webofcreation.org/Earth%20Problems/species.htm
7. Lawton, J. H., 1994. What do species do in ecosystems?
OIKOS 71 (3), pp. 367 - 374.
http://biophilosophy.ca/Teaching/4040papers/Lawton.pdf
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