( Quang Ngai Newspaper) - What is the most beautiful impression in your youth?
I saw her eyes sparkling, in them was a sky of happiness.
- It was when I was able to stand in the ranks of the Green Seedlings team, planting seedlings with my own hands in barren land.
I looked at her for a long time, suddenly I saw somewhere in her my youth - a passionate, enthusiastic youth, living to the fullest for the endless green.
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| MH: VO VAN |
*
Five years ago, I was a young man who had just graduated from university of environmental sciences, holding an engineering degree in my hand, I was confused about what I should do in the near future. My friends were frantically looking for jobs. "If you can't find a job, go back to your hometown, and your mother will take care of you" - My mother said so affectionately. I think other mothers are the same, always tolerant and caring for their children, whether they are successful or unsuccessful. My friends were most afraid of the scene of having to return to their hometown after finishing school, many neighbors pouted: "Study hard, then go back to your hometown to grow rice, what a waste!". I was not afraid of that, because my hometown is always a peaceful place for people far away to return to, no matter the circumstances. But, "Mom, I want to test my perseverance a little more, when I'm at the end of my rope, I'll come back to my mother to take care of me" - I said that, half-jokingly, half-seriously. My mother smiled, the sound of my hometown echoed through the phone...
“Being insecure at the age of 22 is normal, don’t worry.” A senior told me that! When we were still in school, we nurtured so many wonderful dreams, but now those dreams have disappeared, leaving me in a lonely and uncertain state. I packed my backpack and left the city. With the little money I had saved from my time driving Grab after each class, and a clear plan, I decided to wander with a few close friends along the coastal route of Central Vietnam, going up to the Central Highlands. The purpose of the trip was simply to experience, to admire the scenery of mountains, rivers, fields and seas to see how beautiful Vietnam is. Traveling here and there in my beloved Fatherland has always been my dream since I was a child.
The moment I walked on the winding road amidst the green of the trees, with the hills on both sides of the road, green under the blue dome, looking out into the distance at the blue sea with its rolling waves, I felt my heart pounding. I wanted to shout out to the world that my Fatherland was so beautiful and majestic. Nature has graciously bestowed upon my country Vietnam rich, diverse landscapes, sparkling and radiant beauty. My friends were busy taking pictures, from all angles and poses. I posted the pictures on Facebook, and my “moldy” account was now green again.
But then, my emotions suddenly sank, there was a sense of loss, a feeling as if someone was squeezing my heart in my chest. Before my eyes was an unsightly scene, a forest that had been cut down, leaving only bare stumps; the rumbling excavators were tearing up mountains and hills, splitting large hills into three or four pieces, the land was devastated... My sense of aesthetics disappeared. I looked at my friend, my friend shook his head, sighed. The beauty that we had just seen had disappeared, revealing before my eyes the desolation and desolation. I wondered: What hands had harmed Mother Nature?
“Here, not only the forests, streams, and mountains were destroyed... The air we breathe, the motherland beneath our feet, where trees take root to absorb nutrients... were also dug up” - Elder Lia told me, his face filled with sadness. I understood that for someone who has experienced and is attached to this vast mountainous region like Elder Lia, nature is a part of life. He loves nature like his flesh and blood; he feels pain at the sight of forests being cut down, of trucks carrying wood day and night, taking rare wood out of the forest. He told us stories, treated us to dishes with the rich flavors of ethnic minorities and wine carefully distilled according to traditional methods, which he said was “a specialty of Lia village”. We said goodbye to him and left. The dawn was bright. After a night sitting in Elder Lia’s house listening to stories by the flickering fire.
We went down to the Central region, following the coastal road back to the city. The wind from the sea blew cool but I felt so stuffy. The image of trees cut off at the base flashed through my mind.
*
Mam Xanh was born, a project that we think is truly meaningful, contributing to restoring the green color of the forests in the places we passed through. Initially, Mam Xanh - our brainchild - was quite small in scale, the amount of money we raised from donors was all spent on buying seedlings and giving them back to the people. Wherever the seedlings went, we stayed there, supporting the people from the stage of scooping soil until the seedlings took root.
We - the young men who were once bewildered with university degrees in hand but did not know where to go, where to return, now devote all our ideals to the green of the forest. Sitting together talking about Mam Xanh in the cool garden space, far away is the blue sea, white sand, I feel like there is a stream flowing in my heart, immense, vast... I called my mother to show her about the places I have been, about the hills that Mam Xanh has covered with lush green buds, about our meaningful journey. My mother emotionally said: "Happiness lies there, my child! Happiness does not lie in being richer than anyone else, or holding a high position, but happiness when you do useful work, and are respected by everyone".
*
A few months later, we returned to see village elder Lia. He welcomed us warmly and enthusiastically. He led us to the field, pointing to the hill in the distance. The red basalt soil was covered with thick green leaves.
"Thanks to your tree planting campaign, our village has turned the bare hills green. It's so precious, guys!" - Old Lia stroked his beard and spoke in a voice as loud as a waterfall.
I smiled happily. In my sight, I saw hills stretching far and wide. The hills had saplings as big as a person's chest, and soon the trees would grow above a person's head, welcoming the dawn, welcoming the red sunset that fell silently every afternoon and protecting Lia village in the years to come... Lia village would be forever green.
*
In the pile of files on the desk, I randomly picked up the file of a young man: Le Trung Nhan. At exactly 9:30, Nhan was in my office. A young man with a lovely face, a bright smile and naturally curly hair. After looking over the basic information he wrote in his application, I asked softly:
- Among all the jobs out there that can bring you a decent income, why did you apply to our Mam Xanh? Do you know that the pressure here is very high and the salary is very low?
Raising his hand to scratch the back of his neck, making his curly hair more fluffy, Nhan smiled brightly, revealing his white teeth as even as corn kernels, he said:
- Happiness, to me, is when I live fully with my passion, when I can do what I like, meaningful things like bringing green to mother earth...
I looked at her, surprised. At the age of 23, she was thinking about something so deeply! I saw somewhere in her answer the things my mother had told me when I called her to show her how many trees Mam Xanh had just planted, in which lands I had been; I saw in her eyes a sky of happiness; in her youth there was a part of my youth.
Back then, I thought the same as you. And I don't regret my decision.
And Green Sprout grows bigger and bigger!
I hired Nhan. I couldn't miss such a passionate and devoted young man to the eternal green.
Our Green Sprout, our wonderful ideal. Thinking about the green of the forest, I feel so happy!
HOANG KHANH DUY
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