Reflection

In the summer of 2021, my family went on a road trip from Seattle to Yosemite National Park. I was elated as I was a fan of nature and had looked forward to this trip for months. Therefore, you can imagine how heartbroken I was when I saw miles of burnt trees along the highways just before we were about to reach our destination. With a clear blue sky as the backdrop, the black, still-smoldering tree chunks were an eyesore. Though the car windows were up, I could sniff the acrid smell of the burnt embers in my mind. No sign of creatures was spotted, and a small amount of fire remained in the near distance. The morbid scene lasted about ten minutes, but it had a disastrous impact on me. That night, I had a nightmare. A fire broke out near where I lived. Like other animals, I had to leave the place where I had all my precious memories. I was displaced, homeless, and afraid. All because of a fire, a punishment for people’s ignorance of the climate crisis. The increasing global temperature has induced abnormal and extreme weather conditions, including forest fires that have plagued many areas in the US. While the crisis seemed far from me, this time, I was brought to the very front. Without any reminder and without any precaution, I was exposed to the dire reality of the climate crisis. We, human beings, are blessed with the ability to use fire, but it can also destroy us if we continue to ignore the pleas of nature.