Hope for a new World

I walked into a painting. I saw the world now, and what it could be in the future.

. . .

I walk into a room, where a sole painting draws my gaze. The greatest one placed right in the centre, blurring out the smaller frames that could not compare. Made to draw in those drifting past, opening its glass frame for us to seek the inner message, deep within the layers of its canvas. Two, cupped hands holding up our beautiful world, as if supporting a weight that does not exist. The Earth seems bright, the focal point, atop a dark and mysterious black. My eyes are only made to see the flat surface of a painting, but it is my mind that travels deeper, beyond the colours of a 2D world, wanting to see the underlying truth.

My surroundings dissolve into a blurred scene where I see the magical sight of nature. I see vast, cloudless skies, clear, blue rivers with families dispersed throughout simply enjoying their day - simply taking in the stark beauty. I find myself in a daze, drawn to hills awash with green and white pearls of dew upon every leaf of a tree, revealed under the sun’s golden rays. V-shapes circle around lazily above, and innocent creatures of all kinds laying within their shelters, content, wishing for nothing more than these peaceful relations with humankind. My eyes fall to my feet, nearly hidden by the luscious blades, and I am spellbound by the urge to run my fingers through the wet grass. Flecks of dirt are smudged across my palm, and even that feels beautiful to me.

‘How did we ever deserve such a beautiful place to call Home?’ I hear my thoughts mirrored with everyone else, and at this moment, I can feel that we are all truly connected.

I did not even realize the change in the atmosphere. The soft grass beneath my touch is rigid now, with a growing chill in the breeze. I look up, cautiously, scared for what I was about to see and likely not too surprised at the same time. Because I know that our world is not like that perfect scene from earlier anymore. This dread, captured in the air, pierces my heart every single time I look at what had become of our home. Now, I see patches of dusty brown, a bed for yellowed grass, surrounding my feet. I see the once majestic trees being cut down, with clouds of lies masking our clean air. Inhaling what I should be accustomed to every other day now burns my throat. I see rivers filled with more plastic than water. How strange is it that what we are using to drink this pure water travels right back into the oceans? The worst part is seeing animals - innocent forms of life we are supposed to be sharing our Home with - receives otherwise because of our greed. How has it come to this?

It’s as if right now, in this vision, my mind is clear - I can feel scattered emotions emanating from the core of this world. I can hear its cries - begging to be saved, trying to warn us, humans, to stop. To stop being ignorant of our actions, to stop taking this Home for granted, to open our eyes to the damage being done. Well, now my eyes are finally being opened, and they become wider and wider with every moment the scene changes to something more and more horrible.

‘Who could have known that our world was suffering this much?’

Then, within nearly a second, all of the destruction dissolves away, and in its place is a single tree. This is the same tree that I had seen being cut down, though now, it grows back slowly - seeming to be even taller than before. Beneath my feet, the grass and flowers are once again sprouting in soil that looked impossibly healthy in my eyes. And, when I now look up, I can see why. I see families and children, rooting through the grass, looking triumphant for picking up what looked to be clear plastic. I see students being educated on the reduction of fumes. I see billions of us connecting once again, to finally listen to the Earth’s pleas, to finally make a change. I see all of this, and my heart warms into an intense feeling. These billions of hearts meld together with mine, and our connection is enough to finally connect with the heart of our Home. Its beating slows to a calm rhythm, and I can understand that now, our world finally feels protected.

A light tap on my shoulder startles me, and the joyful scene before me fades away. My mind reverts back into reality where I stand frozen before the painting of our world. In a daze, I glance behind to see my companion had already moved along the paintings, returning back in a full circle to see that I was still standing here. Shaking my head, I continue to travel along, though I can’t help but glance back to that painting. A painting of our Home, our only Home. A Home that we would probably always take for granted, and a Home that we would also be responsible to protect. No one can know what the future holds for this planet, but we can influence the future of our Home. This painting truly is the centre of attention, and I wonder what everyone else is thinking when taking a moment to study this Truth. Remembering my vision as a dream that I certainly would never forget, I can now understand the meaning behind that tree. It’s a signal to new beginnings, a sign that hope still exists because, underneath every dying plant, a new one will sprout again.