Where is the World going to?
Destruction of the rain forests- the lungs of the Earth; increasing number of human beings fighting for limited resources; growing urbanisation and industrialisation -- more and more cities and factories, cars and other vehicles- churning out smoke and rubbish; polluted rivers and oceans; endangered species of flora and fauna and most serious of all -- toxic and radioactive waste.
"The Forest is a peculiar organism of unlimited kindness and benevolence that makes no demand for its sustenance and extends generally the products of its life activity; it affords protection to all beings, offering shade to the axe man who destroys it." -- Gautama Buddha
The warning signs are already here, but we just ignore them. Warming of the Earth's atmosphere, ozone holes over the poles, melting of the polar ice caps and acid rain. Are the increasing incidences of floods, storms, earthquakes and other natural disasters, the emergence of new deadly and strange diseases - AIDS, the JE Virus, the Nipah virus, Chicken Flu, Mad Cow disease - a sign that Mother Earth has had enough.
Why do we forget that, even though we are separated by man made boundaries - we live on the same Earth and breathe the same air.
The Padma Purana mentions that the man planting trees by the wayside will enjoy bliss in heaven for as many years as there are fruits, flowers and leaves on what he has planted.
Are we really superior to other species of animals?
The way we act sometimes, shows that deep down we are the worst of beasts. If we don't stop to think and act before its too late..............
In the end, it might be us the human beings, who come under the endangered list.
When we talk about the Environment and the need to preserve it, many people just ignore it saying:
- It's none of our business;
- It's the Government's Job;
- Why should the Third World worry about polllution when the developed countries are the worst polluters;
- What can we do?
- Leave that to Green Peace
.... and so on.
Come on Guys! We can't continue giving excuses. The environment is everybody's business. After all we inherited it from our ancestors and we are only borrowing it from our children.
"What of Thee I
dig out, Let that quickly grow over
Let me not hit thy vitals, Or thy heart"
-- Atharva Veda
The fact that the developed nations are the worst polluters doesn't mean that the developing world has to follow them. We should learn from the mistakes that they made and avoid making the same. We can start by teaching our children to recycle, teaching them the wonders of nature and to save energy. We can't leave that to the Green Peace movement.....
Jatoli Village in Solan District of Himachal Pradesh (Northern India). The hills slopes had been laid waste by deforestation, excessive grazing by cattle, annual fires and erosion. To make the slopes green again, the hill slopes were terraced, followed by soil treatment and plantation of hardy species of trees and shrubs. Work carried out by the Environment Awareness Society (TEAS) Nauni, Solan. Hope they are still carrying on the good work
SOME OF MY RESEARCH WORK:
The Slow &
Silent Killer: Persistant
Organic Pesticides
You will notice that most of the verses/ sayings I have here are from the Buddhist and Hindu religious texts. Contact me (dsmutum@gmail.com) if you have verses or sayings from other sources.
