TomorrowBy Pamela Joy Go, AdI-SMCS

· 700 words in 1 hour· First Prize masterpiece, DSPC 2002

· Theme: Environmental Problems· No. of participating schools: 25

HEAL the world,Make if a better placeFor you and for me

And the entire human raceThere are people dying,

If you care enough for the livingMake a better placeFor you and for me

I could only stare at the third-grade pupils as they interpret this Michael Jackson classic for their presentation during the flag ceremony. They seem to be so full of life, so vibrant. Nothing in this world could seem to break the unbeatable character they have glowing brightly inside them.

I sigh as my thoughts fall on the degrading society that we are having now. How long will these naïve tots have the overwhelming spirit in them? How will they manage to smile?

Look around you, human. What do you see? The pressing issues concerning the destruction of Mother Earth is too real…too hard to ignore.

The huge forest fires that terrorize countless of species both here and abroad. The perennial garbage problem that embraces the government like a cold pack of harsh ice. The dwindling population of all sorts of mammals and reptiles…the endangered species. The red list is getting longer and longer. Soon, I doubt if we’ll ever be able to keep track of all the creatures that have disappeared from the face of the earth forever.

Yes, we want to escape from these enigmas. We really want to. But listen. It’s also we who are keeping ourselves chained to the enslaving powers of material riches. We are blinded by the glitter of gold every time we cut down trees.

However, there are better realities in this issue our ancient mentality should just think about. The contemporary ambience of people all over the world getting more humane, more environment-friendly, more real is embracing us. Any maybe, just maybe, we could start from here.

A year ago, I came across this Reader’s Digest article that suggested a different view of this dilemma. While countless others would rather stick to the old, hopeless sense of presenting these inevitable facts, the article examined the optimism that, surprisingly, never left us.

We still have a chance. At least, that’s what the article said. People are becoming civilized. We are no longer a heartless breed of warm bodies out for nothing but earthly wealth. Through time, we have evolved to be persons with some sense. And Mother Earth is pretty much depending on it. Her whole life, her whole existence is actually relying on this so-called sensitivity that we are starting to acquire.

These are not made-up facts, ladies and gentlemen. No, this isn’t escapism. We are not merely creating this news for the sake of lessening the parables that grasp us by the throat. This is reality.

And this is where we could start. Instead of being a wet blanket, why not take a positive paradigm shift? This maybe is the breakthrough we have been waiting for. And this could take us somewhere in renovating our home, to say the least.

Yes, the predicaments around us are more than enough to last us a lifetime. There’s no way they’ll be solved the moment we put our acts together. They may not even be solved in the entire life of this generation. They may not even be solved at all. But let us begin. Let us start now.

In John F. Kennedy’s words, “United there’s little we cannot do. Divided, there’s little we can do.” If we hold hands now, if we open our hearts to one another and disregard those barriers that keep us from being who we truly are, then maybe we could still hang on to life.

As I watch the children hold hands and dance about the stage, I recognize in their eyes what we almost lost—hope. The smiles pasted on their innocent faces spell a promise that there will be a tomorrow. And that tomorrow will surely be better.

Tomorrow, the world will be healed.Tomorrow, the world will be a better place.For you and for me and the entire human race.