What Would Happen if We Move/Encourage Suicidal People Into the Environmental Conservation Life?

Ah life, it's such a fleeting thing. We humans can be very sensitive to personal topics these days. Lots of negativity and bashing online can be found on social media when it comes to violation of human rights, but what about the rights of our natural resources?

The Lack of Environmental Concern Problem

So I saw a Facebook video and an online article where Palawan NGO Network Incorporated (PNNI) risk their lives everyday to save the forests of Palawan here in the Philippines. I realized we're all bickering about who's right and wrong on social media and spew hate for being offended when we don't like what other people say, how about our natural environment?

After watching the Facebook video I realized it is very dangerous to stand up for our planet or natural resources. It is life threatening to protect it against greedy corporations or maybe the little people they hire who just want to make a living. PNNI leaders/members have been threatened; some have been murdered.

Watch this other video to be aware of this issue.

We're mostly bickering online and insulting each other on whose human rights are violated and such but what about the animals and the plants or the planet? When someone complains about racism, religion and even gender discrimination, because the government or public personnel are afraid of backlash and online bullying, people in power take action.

Normal (or the little) people do stuff like apologize for their controversial behavior afterwards. If they were wrong and people ridicule them online they apologize and learn from their mistake. That's well and good but what if that person has a point or is morally correct but the video people saw didn't show all the facts behind the action? Those people get bullied into a corner and hated plus face social stigma. What's the effect? People these days are afraid to speak about anything online for fear of being "mobbed." More people are anxious about what other people will say if they tweet this, upload that on IG or post something on Facebook. (Mental health is now a bigger problem due to social media.)

But when we see a lot of trash floating on the ocean, the streets are flooded because the drains are clogged or people are fighting for the environment and getting ridiculed or harrassed, nobody in power takes it seriously. Or if they do, any action is very slow.

How about genetically modified food? Would we even care if what we eat is real meat or not? Only vegans or vegetarians seem to care about some animal rights (the right to not be eaten and treated cruelly). Otherwise we keep blaming other people for the environmental problems we have instead of looking at what we do that's adding to it.

We'd rather mob hate, insult and ridicule certain people online especially when someone is doing/saying something contrary to a large group's belief.


Just take a look at these other points as an example:

1 . We see someone famous cheating on their partners and we're all gossipping about it and throwing hate on a third party or one of the two.

How about gossipping on who isn't helping to save the planet and who are polluting rivers? Sounds ridiculous?


2 . We see a transexual not allowed in the women's bathroom and the LGBTQ+ community are up in arms online bashing everyone who says anything contrary to being given the right to use women's bathrooms.

Hey did they forget Ms Universe owners heard their outrage so we should all be happy right? Boom! I can hear the hate and anger from somewhere. Do we see the same amount of rage when a forest is being raped by illegal loggers? Or do we think it's unimportant and something other people should deal with?


3 . We learned a famous cathedral in France got severely damaged and millions of money come in as donation all over the world to rebuild it.

How about millions of donations to preventing the melting of polar ice caps too? We can't re-ice all those melted parts of the ice caps can we? What else are we to do?

What do you think should be our priority? Am I boring you now? Is talking about taking care of the environment not controversial enough?

The balance is tipped to us humans and only now are we starting to put little effort on saving our fast dwindling natural resources. Most people don't care as long as they can change TV channels, watch Netflix, have multiple partners, have sex and parties, do drugs, drive lambourghinis, have fun in casinos, own new kicks or any kind of gadget. Environmental problems are just a show to watch even if it's really happening to the planet. Can't you feel the weather changing? What does it matter if we have money to pay for airconditioning or heaters, right?

Why Are More People Getting Depressed or Suffering from Mental Health Issues?

We like dogs and cute cats and even keep snakes, aruwanas, rabbits or porcupines as pets but what about their natural habitat? We don't bother to call on saving the planet because we think people who do that are just crazy and got nothing better to do. As long as we're happy in our small little worlds being adored by our pets, using technology in comfort, we don't care what happens to the planet. I mean who cares if the polar ice caps are melting if we have to think of how to survive first, right?

I feel guilty every single day because I'm not doing enough as much as I should since I focus more on earning money to survive than doing a lot for the environment. But what about those who already live rich and comfortable lives? The middle class and poor people number more than the rich ones. What are we doing to make a difference in conserving and protecting nature?

Are you aware there are people who would even allow foreigners to buy our islands rich in biodiversity to be converted into what? An industrial area to earn more money at the cost of adding to global warming? They don't care if there are less forests in the world because they got a pocket full of cash. People don't care about cutting down trees in the Amazon forest because the demand for end products are high. Why didn't they plant trees to build forests then if they need lots and lots of trees?

Do you also know how much raw food get wasted in our supermarkets and wet markets? All those remaining harvested food by farmers and fishermen just go to waste everyday. Are we doing the right thing in our lives, just focusing on ourselves and what people say to offend us instead of helping protect the environment?

Then I thought, a lot of people are feeling lost and depressed and suicidal these days. Blame it on social media and our current technology. It's the dark side of all these amazing things we see today.

First was the computers and then the internet and Nokia phones, pretty soon 2G and 3G phones came around. Oh look we now have 4G and the Internet of Things, pretty soon 5G! Wow our technology is amazing! We want robots, AI and smart homes! And yet all these happen because we get the resources from our planet.

What do we do in return? We destroy and pollute our natural resources, the source of our food, livelihood and technology. We leave trash near the beach when we're on a grand vacation. We relax in beautiful beaches or mountains to take away our stress, away from the demands of online connection and technology only to add to the pollution.

It might not be polluting right then and there but when we go back to work who cares about melting polar ice caps and dying seals or penguins? Who cares about not using plastic packaged products? Everything is in plastic and it's no fun without them, right? I know because the struggle is real everyday. Even simple glue sticks are in plastic. It's everywhere and we can't avoid using it unless we consciously do so. We love how durable plastics are so we keep using them. Technology and synthetic materials go hand in hand, we can't seem to live without them now.

On that note, how many people are addicted to technology? Are we aware of the negative effects of 5G, all the radiation from all the advanced and increasing technology? What is the effect on our environment? Are there more trees? Are there more bees? Are there more fish and turtles? Is the ocean and air cleaner than before? Did technology help our planet or did it only help most of us be more entitled and selfish? Yes we use technology now to alleviate the snowballing effect of decades of environmental abuse but are we happier now than before? 🤔

Do you think people living in or around forests get depressed as much as city folk do? Can you imagine indigenous people getting suicidal thoughts? Not all of them are submerged in technology. They are deep in the forests or mountains and beside rivers or oceans, why would they get depressed when they have everything they mostly need to survive? Aren't the people close to nature and those trying to protect it more prone to being exploited by other people? Have I said too much that you don't know what to think anymore?

Lemme make it simple then and go back to the main topic. If we encourage and move those depressed and suicidal people into the environmental conservation life, would their lives then have more meaning for them? Would they even consider it or prefer to pop pills left and right? What do you think will happen? Will they get even more depressed or will it help them? Would it be beneficial to anyone and the planet? What do you think?

XOXO,
@artgirl

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