2054 #PlanetOrPlastic

2054

Every single thing my daughter knows about the oceans was brought to her by my complex descriptions. She listens to me talk for hours and hours about the beautiful animals that once roamed the seas, her little mind creating a picture of a magical world she'll never get the luxury to see for herself.

It feels like a lifetime ago that I was among those who were fighting for our planet. The belief system built into me by my parents was the one thing that kept me going until the very end. Idealistic, we were called by the people who didn't care. Delusional, we were called by those who didn't believe it was happening. I spent so many years blaming them for everything. But deep down, I know I could have done more. We, as the human race, should have done more. For us. For our children. For the ones that come after them, if there's a world left for them to be brought into. Because it's too late now. All we can do now is hold on to our memories so we can tell our children about the magnificent creatures that dominated our oceans, the beautiful, innocent beings that got swept away by the strong current of human ignorance. When we die, our stories will be nothing more than words on paper, our experiences ancient history taught in schools. 

My daughter is the one who paid the ultimate price. She lives so close to the ocean she's never even dipped her feet into. The water, now dark and dirty, seems like a reflection of all the awful things we've done to the beautiful planet some claim we own. That's where we went wrong, really. The day we started viewing Earth as our property was the day all of her animals were sentenced to the worst possible death. 

The oceans, once beautiful and clean, are toxic. The oceans, once creators and maintainers of many different forms of life, have been destroyed by plastic. Over the years, the vessel of hope had become a chocking hazard to her inhabitants. It all comes down to one thing, the common denominator in this horrifying equation. The human race, you and me, all of us. We're to blame for this.

Buried under the rubble of the broken planet we destroyed is a shattered heart of an innocent young girl. A girl who desperately wishes she could do something, anything, to save the world. This girl is my child and she can't do anything. She can't do anything, because it's 2054 and there is no life left in the oceans for her to save. 

The oceans are dark, hollow, and lifeless. A perfect image of our conscience.