Friday, August 24, 2012

Dr. Seuss' The Lorax (Movie)

"I speak for the trees, too"



Futuristic as it may seem, but with the situation we have right now, I won't be surprised if we reach the year where planting trees can only be done in Farmville, and where healthy, furry animals can only be pet in Petville. Sooner or later, Thneedville will be a reality. Do we still need Dr. Seuss' The Lorax in order to realize our lost?

The Lorax (voiced by Danny Devito) is a mystical creature, guardian of the forest who speaks for the trees. Living in a town that is plastic and fake, Ted Wiggins (voiced by Zac Efron) did his best effort to impress Audrey (voiced by Taylor Swift) and ended up facing a responsibility of bringing real life and real air to Thneedville. As Onceler (voiced by Ed Helms) takes another journey back to his past, each message was unleashed, giving meaning to the Lorax's message, UNLESS.

According to a research, at least 19 storms visit the Philippines every year. Unfortunately, some of the storm does not just pass by unnoticed. Some of these storms become deadly and floody every year.

When Typhoon Ondoy came and destructed Metro Manila, they said that it was an isolated incident that exists only once in whatever years---then came "Habagat", an unnamed storm, because it's not a storm either, that brought too much flooding in Metro Manila just like what Ondoy did.

This is no longer an isolated incident, this is the new "natural". Too much heat and too much rain. Environment wise, everything is changing now. For me, we shouldn't just accept this "natural" thing, we must do something. Fortunately, we all know the cause of this climate change.

One of O'hare's man who proposes for a bigger income for him said, "Our research shows that when you put something in a plastic bottle, people will buy it." In the recent times, we don't need such research to prove that. Thing is, we prefer using plastic bottles for mere convenience. Ironic as it may seem, the more we say "save mother earth" through reusable bags, inside it were plastic bottles, plastic wrappers, plastics, fakes.



We cut trees because we produce something out of it. We need a tree, but basically it wasn't created to be something else. It was created to be a tree, just as it is.

There's nothing wrong in cutting 'some' of the trees, especially if it's for a worthy purpose. But we all have a different view of 'some'. We cut but we never plant a new one. There's no cycle of death and life---only continuous death.

Thneed, as the very symbolical element in the film, would mean excessive buying of something that is not needed. In the film, it doesn't even imply a shape or anything else. A product that can do a job of thousand does not exist. It is too good to be possible. Most of the time, when we take the easiest road, it seeks for bigger pay. The film wanted to imply that it's nothing. That we can even live without those 'thneeds'.

It may be a trendy hat or a tightrope for acrobats,  yet does it matter more than fresh, free, air? Does a net for butterflies or something used for exercise, better than a beautiful nature?

No.

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not," Dr. Suess.

The world is never going to be better, unless we care. We need to care because it is all that we've got. We are the caretakers of nature, and in return it also cares for us by providing our needs. Since we are destroying them, no wonder why it also destroys mankind. You only reap what you sow.

Let's build a new world, let's plant our own seed.