If it has yet to die down, if you check Facebook or Twitter, you will likely see "Great Barrier Reef" trending amongst other things.
If you are currently out of the loop (or have just been living under a rock for the past few days), an article was posted claiming that scientists have declared the Great Barrier Reef dead.
Without much hesitation, the Internet exploded accordingly. Post after post expressed frustration, sadness, and even anger towards the current state of our planet; how humanity has allowed our planet to slowly wither and die.
And that was it.
Soon afterward, more credible articles began arising with the truth: the Great Barrier Reef is NOT dead... yet. The Reef is very sick and in need of help.
Now, I did not write this article to preach to you about climate change in the way everyone else is talking about it right now. The scientific community speaks for itself and it speaks both loudly and clearly.
However, I am writing this article as a wake-up call. The planet we are living in is fragile and must be taken care of. Though the Great Barrier Reef is not dead, it does not mean we can continue to neglect its current state.
What really bothered me about this trending was how quickly people were to get angry and upset about it "dying" when it was too late. They shared their condolences and sorrows and that was the end of it. Though it's no sudden surprise that the Great Barrier Reef has been experiencing a slow decline and yet it wasn't until its supposed death in which people finally reacted. How insane is that?
We simply cannot act sympathetic when the problems finally are beyond our control of change. We can't claim to care about these problems if we are only going to care when it is far too late. That is not genuine care, it is simply following the group. It does not take much to jump on the bandwagon, but it does take a lot to genuinely care frequently and consistently - to be the voice that reminds us of the problems at hand, even long after everyone else has stopped speaking.
It is not just our right to help restore our planet, but it is our obligation. For whatever reason, few seem to understand the implications of what this could mean for us. This is not just an "American problem" or a "China problem".
There is only ONE earth, folks -- and no matter where you may live on said earth, once we ruin this planet, there is nowhere else to escape to. Unless you want to live in the future WALL-E predicted -- aimlessly floating through space until we die off - then something's gotta give.
This world has so much beauty and life to offer and we take it for granted.
We have to take care of our planet on a global scale. It is going to take much more than just one activist group or a few. No, we are in need of a worldwide revival in which we all must be willing to participate in.
I, myself, do not claim to have all the answers.
I, myself, do not claim to know where to even start.
I, myself, do claim, however, that our planet is in danger - in danger of us.
We are the ones who need to talk about this change and keep the conversation going, no matter how much time passes. We are the voices that must speak for the planet. If people refuse to listen to mother nature, then let them hear us.
We have the power to make things happen, we just have to be willing to give it a shot.
Let's do this.
Let's save the world.
