PRESERVE YOUR LIFE

PRESERVE YOUR LIFE 

“Look what I have created. I have made fire. I have made fire!” This he said to his companion, Wilson, the volleyball. Chuck rejoiced as he was able to successfully make a fire after having been stranded on a deserted island. The 2000's movie "Cast Away" starred by Tom Hanks as Chuck Nolan won several prestigious awards because of its realistic depiction of a man who strives to survive on a deserted island after having been stranded there for four years. Imagine being in the shoes of Chuck, we would have done the same. We would have done our best to gather resources, make do with what is on our surroundings to satisfy our need for survival as long as we can.

Men in general are born to survive. We are inclined on preserving our own lives because of our “survival instincts”- one thing we have in common with the animals. Our ancestors from thousands of generations back lived with a strong instinct to survive. Hunting for food… living in caves… travelling by groups… using tools for defense… and the like. As the way of living of men progressed, so did the things we do in order to survive. Though we know that we will still die in the end, we still do our best to survive as long as possible. There are many things that hinder us from surviving and living. They can be sickness, diseases, accidents, natural disasters, or even just a mere natural death. Yet, we try to stay on the line as much as possible, as long as we can. Though there are many ways that hinder our existence, there are numerous ways to defeat them also. Prevention and cure defeats sickness and diseases… Safety defeats accidents… Preparedness defeats damages from natural disasters… But, what is really the best way to preserve our lives? According to a study conducted by Diana Bowler, et. Al. entitled The Importance of Nature for Health: Is there a specific benefit of contact with green space?, “ The presence of a link between the natural environment and human health and well-being is of current interest to a number of organizations within the public health and environmental sectors. On the basis that this link does exist, several organizations have already invested resources in initiatives which use the natural environment in some way as a means of improving public health (e.g. British Trust for Conservation Volunteer’s Green Gym; Parks Victoria’s Graded Walks)”. Nature is proven to be of great use to our health bodily and mentally. Furthermore, Paul de Zylva from the Friends of Earth stated that, “Nature is essential to our lives – from the food on our plates to the clothes we wear, from medicines to mental health benefits.”

To simply summarize, nature is our earthly source of life. So, what better way to preserve life than to protect the giver of life on Earth? We can all agree that the status of nature in this world is not in a good condition. Therefore, we are also in danger. Extinction and endangerment of the species ones numerous… Global warming… Natural disasters like floods, landslides, and the like… We are also killing ourselves and the future of the upcoming generations. Solutions to these are not new to us. We have already been educated about the ways we can contribute as a solution to these. Big things always start with the small ones. We need to start helping even in small ways. Proper garbage disposal, reducing carbon production, planting trees… These small acts will change the world and preserve our lives. Let us do this for the future generations, if not, do this for your own self.