If someone says 'National Geographic', the name rings a bell to you. Maybe you have heard these words on TV, in journals, or on the radio. National Geographic is a kind of nonprofit organization. They publish the journal 'National Geographic' to urge us to know about world's geographical phenomena. Half of its profit is used to help nature and animals, and the rest is used for publishing.


From June 6th to July 17th, National Geographic’s photo exhibition was held in the Jeonju Sori Arts Center. Its theme was ‘Nature and Life’. There were a lot of pictures related to geographical nature. There were not only great pictures of the Amazon but of a little deer family. They were so beautiful that I couldn’t believe my eyes. But the pictures that caught my eye were something shocking. They were about nature and animals which were destroyed, dying, disappearing, or devastated.


I think National Geographic plays a role as an accuser. Suppose you were a gallant traveler and you planned a fantastic trip to the North Pole. Close your eyes and imagine the scenery of the North Pole. Can you see a lot of huge icebergs? Can you see white bears? If I am right, you might say, "That's the exact picture that I imagined for the North Pole." But, if you really imagine that kind of picture, it's totally false. In reality, the North Pole has none of the peaceful things that you imagined. Icebergs are melting and lots of the polar bears are dying. According to National Geographic, due to the lack of food, polar bears even eat their babies. This is just because of the destruction of nature by humans. It happens not only at the North Pole but also all around the world. The most serious problem is that we’ve never considered nature.

We just say that protecting nature is our duty without practicing it. So when you are asked what you should do for nature, you answer unintentionally, "We must not throw trash on the road" while throwing trash on the road. We don't think nature is being destroyed. We don't think the wild animals are dying. In this sense, the photo exhibition seemed to warn me: accuse yourself as a killer of nature. Many kinds of earthly diseases are created by humanity’s neglect. The journals and photo exhibition remind us of it.

We should worry about earth's environment just like our private problems. We should care about it because we are members of earth. You should put your money where your mouth is. This daring accuser, National Geographic, hit the nail on the head: "Accuse yourself!"

 

Jung Yu-jin Reporter

 

 

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