Helpless

This is a formal theme written in for my English class in 4th year high school after Ondoy, an incredibly devastating storm, hit the country.

A few weeks ago, a dreadful event that happened 16 years ago returned, only this time, it was a lot stronger. For two whole days it rained nonstop; darkness reigned above, and no hint of the sun was permitted to pass through the thick dark clouds of the storm. There was no electricity that will power the street lamps. The dams were forced to leak water into the rivers, which caused the creek that literally surrounded our village to overflow within an hour. Our area was a hill, yet half of it sank beneath the turbulent muddy waters. It was so deep that only the roofs of the houses downhill were visible. The two bridges that linked our community cracked; one of them broke down and can no longer be used, while the other one’s rusty railings got snatched by the flood.

Our house, thanks to the Lord, did not get flooded. All we lost was some electricity, some time, and some fun. During the time it was raining, it was too dark to work. All we could do was sit and stare at each other and at the ceiling. I preferred the latter. We got bored with staring and, to kill time, amused ourselves with a modified scrabble, chess, and toys that I used to play with when I was still a little kid. But without electricity, time is virtually invulnerable. It came to the point that I got bored of playing, and once more stared at the ceiling, wishing it would stare back at me. When the two days were over, electricity came back. My little brother shouted with joy, while I went straight to the computer and played. The clouds parted and the sun once more smiled on us, laying its warm, gentle rays on the wet roof of our house, making us forget the cold darkness we have experienced.

While the computer was booting, I realized how much I have changed. The action figures I used to play with for four hours straight no longer meant anything now. The board games I used to love have lost their appeal. But, more importantly, I realized that our society has been relying on the magic of electricity too much. We used it too recklessly, neglecting the negative effects it has on nature. Man has already begun to abuse and control nature; he has made his own source of light, his own sun, to make himself forget of all the hardships he has gone through. But, where there is light, there is shadow. It is true that today we enjoy life more, but we should also be reminded that there is a power much greater than what we could ever attain, that nature is not ours, but God’s.

I do not want this calamity to happen again – no one does – yet we cannot avoid it. The army of global warming is on its way and the Philippines is the front line of defense of the world. We will be the first to receive nature’s counterattack on humankind, and we are in no way whatsoever prepared for this. A lot of people still throw trash anywhere they want even though they know that it will go back to them in one way or another. Perhaps, we can make an effort to make the Filipinos realize their mistakes. The global warming awareness shows in TV helps a lot, and the environmentalist organizations also give their own contribution. By joining one of these groups, I can give my contribution to save the world. Or, I could do it in my own little way. But, unfortunately, our race is one that is eager for results. If we do not see or feel an improvement within a year, we will probably give up on what we do. We could try, but I personally believe that we are helpless against nature. But, then again, no one laughs at a man who does his best.