Silent Spring by Rachel Carson is a warning of a terrible tragedy that might happen in the future because of our neglectfulness, carelessness, indifference, and – let’s be honest – greediness. Archeologists have proven that people have always had issues with an eco-friendly style of life. Even when we didn’t have pesticides and the chemical industry at all, our ancestors already had problems with the environment. Unfortunately for us, we, contemporary people, still don’t know how to lessen our impact on nature, thus the world is in danger. Carson shows that it is our responsibility to maintain balance of nature whose fragile harmony can be disturbed so easily and irrevocably.
The planet we so baldly and presumptuously call ours is also a home for animals, fish, birds, insects, plants, and mushrooms. If you go outside and have a look at your surroundings, you will see trees, birds, pets, and other living beings. These are usual things that we don’t even notice, taking them for granted. However, there might be a day when parks, forests, and meadows disappear because we can really estimate the full impact of our decisions. Rachel Carson’s story is mostly about chemical industry and pesticides that used to be and still actively used in the agricultural sector. The amount of chemicals that get into our water is increasing with an alarming rate, the temperature records are being set every season, the whole world is changing. According to some scientists and activists, this world is slowly dying.
Silent Spring illustrates one of the possible scenarios of our future. Do we even notice insects? Some people say that we have our own problems, so there is no point in thinking about them. Here is the most terrible mistake. People have to understand that we do depend on nature. Let’s imagine all insects will disappear now, what will happen? As we all know, the food chain will be destroyed. Birds will probably perish first, then animals, and only then we. For now, the technologies are not that advanced to be able to replace insects and perform their part in pollination of plants. If pesticides kill insects, there is a high risk of hunger being on the rise in the world. We can’t even fully foresee what we and other living beings will have to endure. However, it is possible to assume that people are not going to like the new world where springs and summers will be deadly silent.
Rachel Carson's warning has to be spread around the world, so that everyone, every child, every teenager, and every adult knows that it is up to us if our future is going to be happy or not. We have to take responsibility for our actions now in order not to see our grandchildren cry tomorrow. This planet is not our property; we share it with our living being and that is the way it should be.
