The Rope Swing

It was not until the later years of my life that I developed an appreciation for my environment. I too often chose to travel through life, never fully appreciating the surroundings I was blessed to have until they were no longer there. I never thought twice about throwing a piece of trash on the ground, and never concerned myself with the consequences of my actions. Before I was fully able to come to the realization of the impact my actions had on my surroundings, I had to experience first-hand the destruction that individuals can cause.

During the stage of my life when I felt too mature to be playing with Barbies, yet still believed that boys had cooties, my favorite place to hang out was the Rope Swing. I was introduced to the Rope Swing by my older brothers, and before belonging to them it belonged to my parents and their friends, and their parents before them. As is quite evident, the Rope Swing has long since stood as a great addition to my town. Although my brothers once spent their summer days with picnics and swims by the Rope Swing, they eventually got their drivers licenses and moved onto bigger and better things. The Rope Swing then fell into the hands of me and my friends. We all anxiously awaited the summer days which followed the end of school and began the days spent lounging around the Rope Swing. When the weather finally cooperated my friends and I would walk the short distance into the woods behind my house, and accompany many of our fellow neighbors and classmates to the Rope Swing. We could hear the squeals of laughter and splashes of water as we neared the swing, and our excitement would begin to peak. The rest of my day would then be spent swinging into the always clear and refreshing water, while others climbed the surrounding trees or fished downstream. The saddest part of the day came when, one by one, we began to hear our mothers beckoning us to return home before the sun went down and the street lights came on. Although these days have long since been just a memory to me, since I too eventually got my license and the Rope Swing no longer seemed so appealing, those summers have turned out to be some of the best of my life and our never too far away in my memory.

Shortly after my graduation from high school, my friends and I were reminiscing about “the good old days” and decided to revisit our old stomping ground. As we embarked on the somewhat overgrown pathway to the Rope Swing, it felt as if we were ten years old again and nothing had changed. However, upon our arrival at our old hangout we came to the realization that everything had changed. Broken beer bottles, candy wrappers, and all sorts of litter scattered the ground. The once clear and lively river was dirty and gloomy, and the once indestructible Rope Swing was barely noticeable, hanging from a torn down branch. We all stood in silence, secretly hoping that we had made a wrong turn along the way and this was not the revered Rope Swing we once knew and loved. After a failed attempt to clean up the area, my friends and I left the Rope Swing and vowed to restore it to its former beauty. We all walked back to town in silence, pondering how human pollution and disrespect could turn something so beautiful into something some disgusting.

After a long rant to my mother about how “kids these days” do not appreciate anything, I was informed that the water by the Rope Swing was no longer safe for fishing or swimming. Due to the illegal disposal of wastewater from a local power plant and the litter that now inhabits the river, the water was dubbed temporarily unsafe for any sort of activity. When I heard this news I began to swell with rage, but my anger quickly turned into a feeling of disappointment. My community was solely responsible for the destruction of this once beautiful haven, which had been home to so many generations of our community and housed so many wonderful memories. I can remember the day that I caught my first fish in that river, right alongside my father. I was so proud of the accomplishment and could not have wished for this landmark event to have happened at a better location. After taking numerous pictures of myself with the fish, I returned the fish happily to its home in the river, not daring to remove it from its natural habitat. Now, the Rope Swing is no longer inhabitable for the animals that once called it home, and it is no longer a place where the kids of my town can relax and have fun.

Although this personal experience seems only to describe the effects of pollution on my community, this story can be related to situations all over the world. Communities around the globe are dealing with the effects of pollution, especially the effects of pollution on water sources. The experience with the Rope Swing made me realize how vital humans are in preserving the environment, and if we continue down the path we are on it may ultimately lead to our own destruction. Another bit of insight that I gained from this experience was that oftentimes we do not consider the long-term effects of our actions, as long as there are no immediate consequences. I remember the days when throwing a gum wrapper on the ground was no big deal, since it was only one gum wrapper, but little pieces of litter can accumulate and cause the destruction that I was able to witness first hand. Although our efforts to clean up the Rope Swing did make major improvements, the water is still not safe for anyone to fish in. The process of restoring the Rope Swing to its former beauty is a long one, and there is a chance that it may never be able to be what it once was. Either way, I walked away from this experience a lot more knowledgeable and aware than I once was. My actions towards this environment not only have an effect on me but everyone else on this earth as well. Either we as a race need to recognize and change our behavior, or we will end up destroying this place we call home.