UN Reflection
I never imagined that I would be inside the United Nations, sitting on the chairs of its chambers, and listening to things that matter to us and the world. Looking back on myself, I have never really cared about what was going on around the world. Selfish. Some might say so, but I was simply on the path of figuring myself and to me, that was more important than the starving children or global warming. However, as I have found some peace within myself, I am slowly noticing the earth in pain and see the importance of changing our preconceived thoughts to be more sustainable.
With excitement to learn more about how we as artists, could contribute to the world by being sustainable, I arrived at the entrance of the United Nations. However, my enthusiasm gradually declines as I was waiting outside for more than an hour to get in. At first, I got frustrated of the cold weather, then my brain froze and denied to comprehend, and finally, I began to wonder why the weather was getting more extreme as the years past by. Humans selfish desire of wanting the best, without thinking about its outcome. Because of our self-centred mindset, our earth, our home is dying. Recently, the weather in Korea has gone mad. During the summer, I cannot sleep because it is too hot. During the winter, I feel like I could freeze to death. Today, life is just going back and forth from two extreme ends and I simply hate this.
From the talk, the most shocking part was when Timo Rissanen said how in Norway, people are not recommended to eat fish from some sea because of the microplastics disposed of humans. This came to me as a huge shock because I love fish. How have we come to the stage where we need to be constantly worried about what we eat because there may be plastics in it? But thinking about a way to solve this, I felt like I was hitting my head on a brick wall. Nothing, to be honest. I know how cafes are trying to reduce the use of plastics straws. This may prevent future pollution, however, could there be a way to eliminate the microplastics or make something sustainable using it?
The aftermath of our mindless use of fossil fuels is coming back to us at hyper speed. Whilst people are realising the severeness, there remain people that decide to be ignorant of this matter. China has been building a lot of factories on the east coast and because of that, the air in Korea is being polluted. Though we were sitting in the Chambers listening to a sustainable life, the reality makes me hesitant towards these solutions. Could the world be saved with these tiny actions? I don’t know, but it won’t kill us to try. So I guess the first step I can take is making my surroundings more sustainable.
