Chapter 1 Generosity of Nature

“Earth is the only planet where we currently live. It is rich in natural resources such as the water we drink, the land we build our shelter and the oxygen we breathe. Nature is very generous to mankind but we also need to keep in mind to take care of it. How about you? What are your contributions in protecting nature?”

Bell rings

“Oh! Time passed by so quickly. Class dismissed. See you next Wednesday”, said Professor Michelle Woven.

“Bye, Ms. Michelle”, said the class while urgently packing up their things and getting ready to go to their next class in the laboratory.

In the faculty room, Professor Michelle saw Ms. Elizabeth Molar, an older colleague in the university. She is teaching Biology and a fellow scientist. 

“Ms. Elizabeth! I thought you were on a vacation leave?”, asked Professor Michelle with excitement. “Well, you know, when duty calls, you need to be here A-S-A-P”, said by Professor Elizabeth and both laughed and hugged each other. 

“I miss you”, Professor Michelle said.

“Oh, darling, I’ve been away for only three days. If it wasn’t for an urgent matter, I would still be at the beach, swimming with the fishes, dancing and enjoying my vacation until Friday.”

“Urgent matter? I have not received an email about an emergency meeting or anything”, asked Professor Michelle with curiosity.

“It’s highly confidential as of now, dear. Anyway, I need to go now. The dean is probably waiting for me. See you around.”

Ms. Michelle went to the parking lot and as she was about to get into her car, she saw her student running towards her. “Ms. Michelle, I have a question to ask. What if the time comes that we need to buy the oxygen we breathe?”

With a shocked look on her face, Ms. Michelle began gathering her thoughts. “Well, that’s an amazing question, Alex. Before, water was clean and free but through the years, we now pay for clean water to drink. I wonder if that time will come that we need to pay for the oxygen we breathe when it is no longer safe to inhale random air. I do hope it does not happen.“

“Well, it is possible, Ms. Michelle. Many people are not giving importance to our trees. I saw last week that a massive deforestation was executed here in Arizona. It was near our place in South Wilberra. I tried to report it but the officer just ignored me.” Alex Smith shook his head in dismay.

“I’m sorry to hear that. I’ll see what I can do.” Ms. Michelle tapped Alex on the back while comforting his student. “Bye, Ms. Michelle. Have a safe trip.” said Alex while going towards his bike. 

Alex Smith is a bright college student and an advocate of protecting nature. He uses his bike whenever he travels because it does not emit carbon monoxide. He also recycles and properly segregates his trash. He knows that through simple actions, one day,  he will be able to create a big impact.

While Ms. Michelle was driving on her way home, she still kept thinking of the story told by her student earlier.  In this world, nothing is constant except change. If the people continue to exploit and destroy nature, a time will come that scarcity will occur.

“Oh my goodness!” Ms. Michelle grasped as she stepped immediately on the brake of the car. A large tree fell down just a few steps in front of her. She removed her seatbelt and went out of the car. She looked around her and saw a group of men illegally cutting down trees.

“Hey! It’s illegal to cut trees here. This tree is a hundred years old. It can cause accidents here, too!” She shouted furiously to the men. Due to her loud voice, the group of men turned their sight to her.

“Woah! Listen up, lady. We don’t care who you are. We are doing our job here. If you don’t like it then get lost.” said by a creepy looking lad. The other men kept looking at Ms. Michelle while holding their equipment as if a threat was being implied.

“You know what? I will report this! You and your job would destroy this beautiful surroundings.” replied by Ms. Michelle.

“Go ahead, lady! Do whatever you want” said another man while the others murmured and laughed.

Ms. Michelle went to her car and started driving around the fallen tree. She was really disappointed. She saw that tree when she was still a young girl and now, it was torn down by illegal loggers. She stopped the car and decided for a moment to go to the police station.

“Officer, I need to report something. There are illegal loggers cutting down trees. One fell in front of me and it almost caused an accident!” She kept talking but it seemed that the officers were busy doing various tasks. Ms. Michelle walked and tried to talk to another police officer but she was ignored.  Another passed by without even listening to her. She then remembered Alex, her student. Alex said that when he previously reported an incident, the officers kept a blind eye to it. To her dismay, she left the establishment.

She was on her way home and was really frustrated by what happened. The future generations also have a right to see the beauty of nature. If exploiters would continue on their wrongdoings, the vision for abundant future resources would be a blur. Nature is very generous. If only people would protect it, this would be a better place to live in. Several thoughts are running in the mind of Ms. Michelle as she travels.

When she arrived home, she put her things on the couch and went to the dining area to get some water. She returned to the living room and turned on the television. “The news better be great. It’s been a long and tiring day!” she exclaimed out of frustration.

The news displayed a young soldier being awarded for capturing notorious thieves. He is a tall man with a great body figure fit for a well trained soldier. His name is Lieutenant Mark Spears. His passion to serve the country and  protect the welfare of his fellowmen are truly remarkable. 

“Well, at least, some officers are still committed to their oath.” said Ms. Michelle. In order to lighten her mood, she decided to do the laundry and clean the house. After a long and tiring day, she fell asleep in her simple bedroom and turned on a small lamp shade that reflected to her ceiling a view like the sky in the evening.

The next day, on her way to school for work, she saw that more trees were cut. Distracted by the trees and her thoughts, she was not able to notice the person beside her car. It was Alex, riding his bike. He gently knocked the window of Ms. Michelle.

“Good morning, Ms. Michelle!” said by Alex.

Ms. Michelle opened her window and greeted her student as well. “Oh, hi! I’m sorry, I got focused on the trees, I didn’t know you’re beside me.”

“I see they have torn down trees again. They are never contented with the money they have, those greedy jerks!” sighed Alex. He looked at his watch and it’s almost time for his first class. “Well, I’ll go ahead Ms. Michelle, I have a laboratory class today. I don’t want to be late for Ms. Elizabeth’s class.” Alex waved before pedalling his bike again to school.

Ms. Michelle took a glimpse again at the sight of the trees that were cut and sighed before she continued to drive to school. It started to rain when she arrived. She went straight to her first class and started the discussion.

During lunch break, the school announced class suspension due to heavy rainfall and possibility of flooding. 

“Well, during my time, we would not be terrified by the possibility of a flood because several trees are still in the surroundings. How things have changed. The generosity of nature was taken for granted.” said by Ms. Elizabeth to Ms. Michelle in the hallway.