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Sunday, May 12, 2013

Desolate Earth


Desolate Earth: by Ian Macfarland
September 11th, 2537. Diary of Adam Walsh,
Earth has become a battleground of unnatural disaster. Studying history makes me think we would have eventually killed off each other. Who would have guessed our own planet would be the one to wipe us out? It may come as a shock to some but to me it isn't surprising. On this very planet that gave us life, in our own bodies we have white blood cells. The main purpose of these cells is to wipe out bacteria, infections, and parasites. Aren't we just parasites to the earth? We do nothing but take, infect, destroy and pollute this world. Turns out killing everything without bias works even better than penicillin.
It's a shame too. We claimed to have so much knowledge, that we had an advanced consciousness, basically saying we were "more alive" than other species and yet we couldn't even save ourselves from self-destruction. We were arrogant and foolish. Perhaps more than anything, however, we were ignorant. Ignorant of our planets needs and blissfully unaware of its desperate cries for help. Even now we still cling onto the earth for life.
You have to wonder, what were people thinking? History books boast about these mighty governments and countries of all kinds that were created to protect their people and their interests. Yet, in an effort to appease their citizens requests for comfort, forgot their duty to protect them. I guess at some point people decided they would be either comfortable or die trying. Well, I'll tell you one thing, I'm not comfortable and I sure as hell ain't going to die anytime soon.
Signed,
Adam
It was the first sign of life I had seen in three months. I couldn't help but stare at it for a bit and just drift off. Knowing someone else was out there gave me hope although I couldn't help but assume the worst. Comfort is one luxury we've lost but more importantly we have also lost the company of others. Loneliness just isn't battle you can win here. Everyone is a risk and a gamble. You might see someone down in the tunnels occasionally but nothing more than a stare or a greeting is exchanged, on a good day.
One thing Adam got wrong is that the governments of earth may have been the one thing that saved our species. Two programs were launched once the surface became unsustainable for life. Since the late days of the common era human population was becoming larger than the earth could support. While advances in farming, science and technology helped us live this long it was the space program that really gave people hope.
The space program was the first to start although I'm not sure if it was a success. Scientists theorized earth would not be able to support the population for long so it was decided to seek a habitable planet elsewhere. To make this possible advances had to be made on growing food, sustaining animal life and recycling water without natural elements or occurrences found on the earth. With all of these capabilities the first space shuttle holding around 25,000 was launched in 2393. Many other space shuttles decided to follow suit and abandon their own home in hopes of a better future. It is said in our history books that each space shuttle flew different directions for a higher chance of finding a suitable planet.
The second program was an underground city – Subterra (meaning below earth). It was theorized by scientists and meteorologists that, with proper insulation and applied science, life would be easier to sustain underground. This was because of the scorching temperatures and horribly high humidity from the oceans evaporating rapidly. Those who stayed on the planet either stayed behind out of loyalty or perhaps they were poor and foolish, I haven't really figured that out yet. I can't imagine anyone would throw their hat into this mess.
I almost gasped as I shook myself out of the meditative trance I was in. It felt like falling down in a dream only to wake up and jolt your body forward. I decided I should scavenge the room for food or other supplies. I turned around and all I remember was hearing a 'clang' sound and feeling blood run down my head into my eyes. I hardly caught a glimpse of the person who assaulted me but I saw it was a young woman. My vision was getting blurry and I was about to pass out but I swear I heard her crying.

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Introduction.

The Introduction to an Introductory Post.
Hello, Ian here! This post is really exactly what it seems like, an introduction. I just want to make a post to get started, introduce myself and lay out a few ideas for future reference. I'll briefly touch on my life, current projects and purpose of this blog. I wanted to write this introduction for both any future followers/fans and for myself to have something to look back to. Hopefully I can look back at this one day and remember what my purpose and state of mind was.

Me, Myself and I!

So, what is unique about me? Well, lets start with the basics. I've just graduated from high school through an online program and I am enrolled at Pima Community college. Currently, I'm unemployed and have been searching for work just over 6 months. Like I said, simple but possibly interesting to some!

On to unique aspects of my life. While I don't consider or define myself as a depressed person I do suffer from some anxiety and depression. Around the time I was 15 I was isolating myself from the world while doing online school. At the time I didn't realize it but this was making me really depressed, killed my appetite and alienated a lot of my friends. I tried therapy and medication but really the only thing that helped was changing myself consciously. Of course I appreciate therapy and medications for giving me the confidence and courage to take those first steps. More than anything I am so indebted to my close friends and family who helped me through a hard time.

As I said, though, it was a big effort on my part, I started changing and questioning aspects of my life. I started putting down my controller and looking for different things to do. I decided to volunteer at an animal shelter nearby, the Humane Society of Southern Arizona. I've been volunteering there for about two years now and have met a lot of nice people! Volunteering really made me realize that there were always options, I didn't have to just sit at home and stew in depression.

This is just a condensed version of that period of my life as I don't really like writing or talking about it much. Who would? I'd much rather write about fun, interesting things! For example, I'm currently studying Japanese in my free time because I plan to become an English teacher in Japan. My first experience with Japanese, well, anything was anime. Anime was a stepping stone into research about Japanese culture. From there I started becoming enamored with everything from cooking to language. I've always liked to write so my plan is to either transfer, from Pima to the University of Arizona, into a teaching degree or perhaps become an author (if I have the skill and confidence) and then travel to Japan. No matter where life takes me, I definitely want to see Japan. No questions asked.

In addition to volunteering and studying Japanese I also have a couple of hobbies. I like to play video games in moderation unless in a social setting. How can gaming be social? Basically my friends and I will bring our computers over to the others house, set them up and game until we drop. If were only going to do this once in awhile I think its important to go all out! I also love cooking. As I mentioned I really like Japanese culture so I have made many of my own Japanese dishes like onigiri (rice balls),sushi, fried rice and some others. Finally, I also go to the gym 2-3 times a week for strength training. This doesn't really need an explanation but, yes, I lift.

This Blog and My Current Project.
This blog is highly adaptable and will probably change more than I can plan for. I really have no idea where I will be into even a year or two, what I'll want or who I'll become. In just the last two and a half years I've changed so much, my whole life and personality have evolved. Who's to say that won't happen again? As far as I can see right now I will be using this blog for my writing but the reason I call it "Unexplored" is because I don't quite know what lies ahead. Personally, I find this really exciting!

You already know what I do on a typical day but I have said very little about any content for this blog. The reason behind this is because I've only just gotten a few ideas in my head. Right now I'm starting on one story with another in mind. Nothing is set in stone or permanent but this is what I have so far, after a week!

The topic I'm working on is a Sci-fi story about the Earth becoming, basically, uninhabitable. 500 years in the future human "ingenuity" has violated the environment for so long it has left the planet a mostly lifeless husk. The surface is nothing more than a desert too hot for life to evolve or for humans to walk on without special equipment. I haven't really started on where I want it to go but I have some ideas for how humans remained on earth, how our species survived, and how things got so bad. I came up with this story thinking about how much we mistreat our planet with all the chemicals, pollution and garbage we produce. Sometimes it almost seems like we are parasites and the Earth is our host.

Another topic I was exploring but never started on was a psychological sci-fi story about a person being trapped on an island. All I know is that I wanted there to be little to no human contact, the person would be on their own and would undergo an evolution that turned him from a normal human into an almost primitive or animal being. Maybe this is inspired by my own life but it would be much more of a drastic transformation.

Anyways I think it should be fun to write even if they only turn out to be short stories. If I ever landed something that I thought was really amazing I would definitely make a career out of it! Cheers for now, I'll be around again shortly.