In a very twisted sort of way, pollution can be a beautiful thing. As with tragedies in literature, a heartbreaking photo can go a long way to soothing the soul and providing the viewer with a cathartic experience. The pure truth that a photograph might contain is a reflection of the reality of our world – where we stand, who we are, what we have done, and what is expected of us in order to actually have a tomorrow. Photographs relating to the junk collection this world has become are horrible to look at, but, at times, they are like the sunset – something you shouldn’t look at, but it is at the same time just as beautiful as it is harmful to the self.

PHOTO 1

There is no denying that we have been damaging the air ever since we discovered fire and all the ways we can use it to destroy nature. The industrial era is one that did the most damage, and in many aspects we have learned no lessons from it. This photograph shows the air we breathe and the situation we have put ourselves into. Living among billowing smoke, wading through exhaust smoke, breathing the cigar smoke we ourselves produce. Where do the grey stop and the clean air enter?

PHOTO 2

This photograph is a piece of art and a thing of beauty to behold. In concordance with the photograph, it depicts the world we are living in, how far we have gone, and, in a darker note, the inescapability of it. Observe the variety of rubbish collection holding the native in place. Observe the wishful stare at the unencumbered land beyond. Observe the literal gap between that and the waste disposal heap. Observe the lack of choice, the hopeful run, the standstill. It is a grim picture, but, sadly, also a truthful one.

PHOTO 3

The picture is clear in many ways than just its visual appeal. This is how far we have gone – the pollution we bring upon the world with our inability to provide the required waste disposal measures. The environmental crisis affects not only us, but the entirety of nature. The bigger problem – the one we either ignore or, the sadder picture, we simply don’t care about – is that the pollution reaches creatures that cannot help themselves. We, as humans, can deal with a dirty cup, or a cigarette fag, or disinfect a scratch made by a torn tin can. Animals, however, don’t have that luxury. As inhabitants of this world, we all share the environmental suffering, but as humans, only we make it worse.

The world has reached an environmental crisis, and it is not going away anytime soon. The sad reality of this reaches us on a daily basis and we all can do so much better than let all of this happen. Putting a better effort in the rubbish disposal scene is the least we can do, and when we master waste recycling, there might be some hope for the future and before rubbish envelops us all.