Why We Must Care For More Than Our Own

"No man is an island. No man stands alone. 

Each man's joy is joy to me. 

Each man's grief is my own." 

This is the first stanza of a song communicating the relationship of man and the rest of creation. There had been songs, movies, books, articles, plays and all other media in almost every language that had been created to share this message of "connectedness" among everyone and everything in the world. However, it seems that man, the center and appointed steward of creation seems to be oblivious of this truth and most specially its consequences.

Brazil is known to be one of the greatest sources of fresh air. People from nearby countries, Venezuela, Africa, Cuba, Mexico,and the United States, for example, benefit from the the fresh air being emitted by the forests of Brazil. Recent developments in Brazil, however, had affected this supply of fresh air. Brazil is now considered the third greatest supplier of carbon dioxide, (a gas which is mainly responsible for the creation of a film around the earth which results to global warming) because of its massive deforestation activities. Deforestation is a form of land clearing done by burning forests instead of the more expensive and time consuming cutting of trees. The activity maybe local, but the effect is global.

Global warming is another phenomenon when we can not just sit back because we believe we are not affected and not affecting others. The earth's condition is influenced one way or the other by every activity that happens in it, whether by living or non-living things. Even the the most simple breathing contributes to the earth's condition. God had created a perfect world in the sense that if each creation is let to live according to its nature, each will live long enough to achieve its purpose. Science had discovered the need for the earth to maintain its balance. Climate change, the effect of global warming , had affected different countries in varying degrees. Climate, as we know is vital to the lives of everyone and everything. Lifestyles, agriculture, economy, construction, health, and what not, will be affected. Unless a country is thinking of controlling its own climate by isolating itself, it can not help but be affected by this global phenomenon. And even if it can, it will only be fleeting, because eventually, if the all of the earth is affected, they too will be affected.

For so many years now, one of the dangers being posed before humanity, is the threat to health. While it is true that there had been plagues that had appeared many many years ago, it seems that they are appearing more and more at less time space these days. The development of wider and wider ranged anti-biotics will attest to this. There was the lethal ebola virus which has actually mutated a lot of times. SARS appeared in Hongkong. Now we have the A (H1N1), "swine flu virus". There are actually many more being discovered every week. Some are not that strong as to affect life, businesses, and homes. But they are there. We do not know how they will re-appear. We know that viruses are capable of mutating to a different strain. There is always a race between the virus mutating and scientists discovering the cure drug. We know that we are no match to them. Human lives would be sacrificed first before cures, if we are fortunate, would be discovered. In doing so, we spend so much time, talent, and money to do it. The question is, are we always willing to offer time, talent, and money? Last year, another killer virus called "Lujo" was discovered in Africa (http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1794398/lujo_virus_a_new_virus_discovered_in.html) Maybe the authorities are still keeping the details of the virus but it is certainly present and ready to unleash itself unless we do something about it. The virus maybe in Africa but because of the constant, fast, and easy movement of people courtesy of advances in transportation and communication, they can easily be transmitted to other countries including island countries like ours. It will be more devastating if it had reached the human to human level of transmission. It will be at its height if it becomes airborne! In that case, a pandemic is inevitable. I can not imagine myself breathing myself to possible death! And I thought the World War II holocaust had already been condemned and stopped! Now, it seems that we are our own executioners!

All of these boils down to one common solution; cooperation and awareness of our connectedness. We are our brother's keeper. We can not just clean, maintain and sanitize our own  home and backyard. We have to care for the home and backyard of our neighbors too! Rodents, cockroaches, flies, and other agents of virus transmission would not just limit themselves to your neighbor's unkempt place. They can invade other homes too. And the easiest way to spread viruses and germs is via these very active and constantly migrating creatures. We can not just fortify, beautify, and maintain our own. We just have to be committedly but respectfully involved and interested in others too for the sake of all.   

The song's last stanza says all of these; 

"When I help my brother,

Then I know that I,

Plant the seed of friendship,

That will never die."   

If we love our neighbor as ourselves, death will not be seen as the end but as a part of living. If in doing anything loving for every neighbor is seen as a service to God, then death will be seen as the door towards eternal life. Be connected and live forever. Decide to disconnect, and be prepared to die forever!