It had been a hot day. I was walking home from college as I had missed the bus. It was well past 4pm but the sun was still burning brilliantly. Feeling thirsty, I reached for my water bottle but it was empty. I cursed my fate; first I had missed the bus and now I had to walk all the way in this scorching heat without a drop of water. I tried to walk near the footpath hoping for some shade but with all the trees cut down to make way for high-rise apartments, the shade was nothing but a mirage. I wondered where the rains had disappeared! It was mid July, yet apart from a few drizzles, the clouds had shown no mercy this year.
Along the way, I saw the lake by the park which was almost dry now. I remembered visiting the place with my mother when I was small. The place had been so beautiful, with pretty flowers, lush, green lawns and cool breeze rippling off the surface of the water. But now the place had lost its charm; it looked just like me – thirsty!
When had so much changed around me, and how is it that I had never paid attention to it? I looked closely. The few trees that remained looked like they had given up all hope. They stood like a crushed army, tired and weak from the heat. They had shed all their leaves and looked like they had accepted their defeat. No matter how much they had served us, our selfish needs had finally become the cause of their destruction. The animals and birds looked as if they were ready to declare a war on humans, for we had occupied everything on this planet, not even sparing their homes! The thirsty lakes, the dry winds, the barren lands, they all seemed to be echoing the same cry, “You are the reason behind this”.
The voices started getting louder and it sounded like they were seeking vengeance. The world around me started spinning. I closed my ears with all my strength. I wished the voices would stop. What could I do? Isn’t it Karma? We were being repaid with what we had earned! All our deeds would now have to be accounted for. I pressed my ears harder to shut out the voices until I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned to see my friend looking at me with a worried expression. “Dude, are you alright?” he asked. I didn’t know what to answer. I was alright, but that wasn’t the real question.
How long? How long will it be before our selfishness destroys everything and the voices I had heard would come seeking vengeance for real? “That day isn’t far” whispered a voice at the back of my mind, and for some reason, I felt it was right.
(Image source: Jesse! S from Flickr used under a CC BY 2.0 license)
Perfectly said!