TALKS ON ENVIRONMENT – Sophisticated Minimalist

History is a Great Teacher, Are You a Great Learner?

Do you know the fact that reading history makes you wise?

You will certainly agree if I said ‘reading history-Sucks’ and then you will reminisce your school days when you spent sleepy hours at your lectures. Well I too went through similar cycles of hibernation at school however, now the perceptions have changed.

Back then and even now our education system does not encourage us to ask ‘WHY’ for things that we do. We were never told why we should learn history, but now, when you and I can think more comprehensively, I realized how many great lessons history has to teach. Let me take pleasure in convincing that to you within the next couple of minutes.

Personally, I believe that history, as a subject, has two purposes. First, it keeps account of all the key events that happened in the past. History has thus made the best use of language to transfer the knowledge to the next generations.

It has kept our traditions, culture, art, architecture, memoirs, stories, lifestyle, and ultimately civilization alive. It has given momentum to writing as well as comprehension skills, all of which only the human are blessed with, and now, as a human (if you are), you can benefit from it in exceedingly many ways.

Think of the epics that were written long ago in the 12th century. It’s so exciting that you can live in that time!

You can read the adventures of mighty sailors and explorers who, with no GPS navigation, went across the globe. You can read the affairs of the 15th century which will be remembered for ages to come. You can read the accounts of great wars that our ancestors fought, historic literature kept their valor alive.

Though a lot of discussion and imagination can happen around this topic, let’s move towards the second thought.

History is the silent teacher. It teaches about the mistakes of past generations.

Historic comprehension makes us ‘wiser’ enough not to repeat the same mistakes. However, sadly, this is where we lack wisdom, and essentially that is where we need to learn.

Think of the horrific nuclear attack that ended the 2nd World War. Most of us alive today were not present to witness the disastrous event(No one should). However, history has the accounts of occurrence and the aftereffects of that event. You would not like to repeat such mishaps.

We are now a globalized civilization. Every decision, every choice, that you make, affects the person on the other side of the planet. Intellectuals like you and I thus can change the series of events that could give disastrous outcomes in the future.

This is where we should learn; this is where we need intelligence; this is where we will be judged as global citizens of the 21st century.

One such initiative is the eradication of nuclear and biological weapons. As wise kids of nature, we should have mutually agreed about such treaties but, nothing much seems to happen. Globalization, in this sense, has become a risky business.

We have let a few powerful people rule our destiny. This type of autonomy need just one idiotic leader to destroy the humanitarian as well as environmental tenacity. You and I, therefore, are more responsible now than the previous generations to choose whom to elect and whom to give power.

As responsible citizens, we should learn to choose consciously.

Our conscious choices could be societal, environmental, psychological, and religious.

Societal choices, some of which, include population control, poverty alleviation, epidemic discipline, and other such issues which, ultimately, are outcomes of ‘good governance’. It is noteworthy to again mention that you should choose your leaders responsibly.
Environmental choices include pollution, deforestation, development control, and in essence climate change.
Psychological choices include racism, imperialism, consumption, equality, justice, empathy where your choice and your voice, for what is good, could bring a significant revolution.
Religious choices include blind faith (Ignoring science), inter-religious conflicts, terrorism, vengeance, and allied challenges.

We thus need co-operative effort and independent thought processes which will make us responsible citizens. Our decision thus should not be self-centered and short term but broad vision and long term.

Depleted resources, extinct species, degraded forests, polluted oceans will haunt generations to come. They will be left with nothing to exploit.

I assume you are aware of all such not in my backyard issues. If not, you will eventually learn.

At last, History could be a great teacher to future generations only if we, as the progressive generation of the 21st century, could create the best years of human civilization in time to come, and that depends on ‘you’…

History is ready to teach but are you ready to learn?

Be the change you want to see in the world — Mahatma Gandhi

P.S: If you want to become a connoisseur of great learning, I am here at your rescue… You know what to do… 🙂

Micro-plastics, Ecology and Human Intelligence

Anything which has a sustainable impact for a long time is said to be good for life. Plastics are with us since the 1960s. Initially, this product was considered to be revolutionary for the business industry. But ultimately it failed as a sustainable material after just 3 decades since its inception, yet it is being used incessantly in the industry in every possible manner; though we have alternatives to the plastic. Though we know the consequences we are not taking firm steps; we are not changing our outlook. Just to bourgeon a certain business domain, the future of the entire ecosystem bargained at stake.

Plastics take 1000 years to decompose. It has reached everywhere from the highest peaks to the deepest trench. Wherever humans had their footprints, he left his legacy of plastic. We can see contaminated soils; suffering oceans; choked cities; suffocating biodiversity. Yet we are ignoring the fact. When are we going to realize that life matters? Why are we not accepting the peaceful existence of all living beings? Is it that animal and marine life doesn’t matter? Are they such insignificant and we so superior? Is it that humans have lost empathy towards others in the race of making money? How blind we have become that we cannot see animals and birds consuming plastic and dying terribly. Is it not a case of lynching, for which each one of us is responsible. Cruelty is thriving on the seats of ignoring the behavior of humans.

Small things get unnoticed until they become too big. The story of plastic is just like that snowball which now has become an avalanche

Karma now is hitting us back with serious problems waiting ahead. It’s been decades since we are dumping the plastic. The plastic disintegrates due to the effect of sunlight, sea waves, human activities, and natural process. It disintegrates into tiny particles that are of a micro size. Now it is coming back in the form of microparticles. These particles then enter the human body unnoticeably through the consumption of seafood and drinking water. A study in the journal Environmental Science and Technology has found that humans might be consuming 39000 to 52000 micro-plastic particles each year.

We, humans, act too late, we realize the reality but, we ignore the truth and when reality struck back on us we suffer the consequences, often with regret. Time and again we are repeating this same mistake.

A report from Ellen MacArthur Foundation, in partnership with the World Economic Forum, predicts that the weight of plastic will surpass the total weight of fish by the year 2050. How will the marine ecology sustain is thus a question to ponder. How the human body will react to this micro phenomenon? Amidst so many diseases already playing their part in intoxicating mankind, micro-plastic is yet another issue of concern.

Actually, it doesn’t seem to have any fortune in fostering this notorious material. Meticulous planning and collective efforts are required to solve this troubling issue. The COVID 19 pandemic problem will certainly get resolved but more disasters such as ecological degradation, plastic intrusion in the living organisms, etc await.

It is said that man is the maker of his own destiny, however being lost in illusion for wealth, he has forgotten the principles of existence. Now it is for fate to decide our future, as mankind is yet again ignoring the consequences.

Ultimately nature is so intelligent that it will strive to regain its position where everything is back to square one, as it was before the humans but, in the process, no one will regret the loss of one of the most intelligent beings who ruled, rather unwisely, the planet.

” The fresh breeze along the sea; the exotic scent of the soil; the exhilarating feel of the woods, what a blissful life is! What a beautiful creation of nature is! Hope, our successors experience this phenomenon of life on earth”.

RIP-Avni the Tigress

Once upon a time, there was a village named Justipur. Far from civilization. Isolated it was from the cities. Though it was in solitude, all the people were literate. The village was governed by intellectuals from within the town and they were experts in the respective profession which they headed. There was no scarcity of resources nor there were any financial crises. Everyone was tolerant, moreover, there existed democracy. Such was the prophecy of the people there. The outreach of the village was far fledged. Every cluster where humans civilized were aware of this village.

As there were good people there were bad too. The bad one always tried to take control of the authority to rule the village by their vested terms. Surely they(villagers) were not aware of the consequences that would occur if such abrupt control took over. But there happened many a time such shift of rule from good to bad and from bad to good, Mostly, the prior happened frequently.

The people of this village were enjoying all sorts of pleasures of life. Interestingly each one was seeking whichever lifestyle one wish to as per their status. The community thrived in harmony, though there were acts of resentment. It was a time most comfortable in the history of mankind. No war, lower rate of terrorism, safety and security, a guarantee of freedom, still as an old saying goes, ‘every coin has two sides.’ There existed corruption, bribery, violence and all types of cruel acts humans can perform. The ultimate solution for these problems was simple- efficient, fair, rational and ethical institutional systems like Police, Judiciary, Educational, Political. Everything would have followed naturally, but the will of the majority as to whom/what they choose is ultimate in democracy. what followed was treacherous.

In the far end of the village, there came an independent woman named Avni to reside. Her life was a tragedy. Born and brought up in the adjoining village Enviropur, she was left to learn and grow on her own by her parents and the reason for that was rational. The rationality of the reason lied in the history of Enviropur itself. The village had its laws titled- “The eternal laws of survival” and these laws were governed by someone known to be or at least as the villagers said ‘The supreme controller’. No one had ever seen the controller and hence its identity was a mystery. Still, everyone in the village believed in the laws and everyone followed them religiously. This was the reason for this village to grow vastly and no one ever questioned the validity of the laws of the village.

The parents of Avni separated from her when she was capable to sustain on her own. Alike almost every other villager, Avni also sustained in the village to make for her livelihood. As she grew she started showing traits of her parents, all these came naturally. She was intelligent, agile, ferocious, wild in behavior. Such was her glory that no other villager would dare to argue with her. She was independent and would travel a lot for living. Though she was strong enough to have an argument and win with others, few exceptions were there with whom she would never have across. So she always maintained her limits and circled within her territory. Other villagers behaved similarly when it came to territory. The rule of the territory was the first rule which kept harmony among the villagers.

Avni grew to adulthood by learning all the laws of the village. She was fully aware of her limits and extents and was wise enough to know her rights and freedom. She, while coming to this age realized a need of a partner to help her extend the family for future generations. She wanted to have someone who would, after her reign, would continue the legacy and maintain the decorum of the village and the laws. The decorum of the village stated that “For sustenance of natural habitat, each kind of living species should survive”. To maintain each species, every villager thus performs a ritual, which is ‘ritual of intercourse’. The limit of which is as per the requirement of the village and a subject matter of every individual’s capabilities and understanding.

Avni to make her contribution, started searching for a partner. The partner was expected to have similar attributes that Avni possessed. And yes, sooner many such male counterparts were ready to get engaged with Avni. Surely she was marvelous and no one would have missed an opportunity to lose her. It was like a law of attraction, which states that –‘you seek what you perceive’. The males were supposed to win her loyalty by showing similar characteristics and qualities among competitors. Finally, one was supposed to be her better half. Meanwhile, Avni was blessed with two babies. They together nurtured babies with acute attention and care. It was just a short time after which Avni left her mate for good. She inherently was meant to be left alone. Independent, she was and she liked her independence. She started raising her babies alone.

Avni was still young, she was aware of the threats from the villagers of Enviropur. She believed that everything happens according to the rules of the village. But there was more beyond the village of Enviropur. The human settlement called Justipur, a living threat.

The density of Enviropur was decreasing at lightning speed. Every villager was feeling endangered. The news of resource scarcity was fast spreading and reaching to every villager of Enviropur. Everyone was unaware of the reason for such a happening. Many had acquired themselves with additional skills for survival. One of the important laws about survival stated-‘ only the fittest one survives’. Those who were unaware of the law were all gone extinct.

Slowly every villager realized the culprit of this problem. The culprit was none other than the people from Justipur. But no villager from Enviropur was capable of stopping this destruction, as the scale at which it had reached was far ahead of scope of improvement by any of them. Only the ‘Empathic and Compassionate People’ from Justipur had the power to save everyone from the crisis, but when the bad overpowers good, it considers nothing except self greed which was the case of this contemporary situation.

The villagers of Justipur started encroaching in the Enviropur and by great force. Day by day the living of Avni and all the native villagers of Enviropur got disturbed. Their peace was disturbed abruptly. They were forced to leave their territories. The fundamental structure of Enviropur was hampered. Villagers of Enviropur faced constant attacks from people of Justipur. War was not the agenda of Enviropur, but they were facing constant and terrible attacks. This was supposed to result in great devastation, of which everyone was aware. Even the villagers from Justipur predicted great fall/ extinction. But still badly outnumbered the good for nothing but money!

The attacks on Avni and her natives, having similar attributes happened constantly and at large scale. Once it came a time when the community went very near to extinction, a kind of situation no one would have tolerated.

Avni being fierce and cautious about herself, her children and their future, started aggression against the villagers of Justipur. She came near the village of Justipur and warned them multiple times not to disturb their pace, but the people from Justipur behaved ignorantly. She was finally left with no other solution except to kill the people of Justipur which she did in self-defense. She was declared a ‘Maneater’ She was nowhere wrong, but the people from Justipur were too self-centered and so-called ‘intelligent’ to take the laws in their hands. They finally gave Avni a cruel death. With people of Justipur having all the advanced resources, still not able to have a fair fight. She didn’t even get a chance to validate, dumb was she, and deaf were the people of Justipur. It was a death of advancement, it was a death of progress, it was a death of accumulated knowledge, it was a death of so-called intelligence, it was a death of justice and it was a dawn of destruction.

WAIT..IT IS NOT JUST A STORY WHICH WE END UP BY CLOSING A BOOK

Consider correlating the context with the following:

Justipur (literally a village in Tippeshwar Tiger sanctuary): Signifies we humans and the leaders who don’t care about the environment and the one who are responsible for this crisis of environmental damage-‘City of Justice ‘
Avni: The tigress-Shot dead by order on 2nd November 2018 in Maharashtra State, India
Enviropur represents forests; the vital element of natural habitation
Eternal laws of survival: The laws of Nature

Avni is just a representation of the large biodiversity which we have on our planet. we are killing them for the pleasure of our irrational benefits. Being an intelligent creature or so-called self-declared intelligent creatures, let’s not repeat the mistakes and learn from history.

We may practice corruption for money, power and do it irrationally, but we can never corrupt the natural environment, how much we try. We must never forget the laws of nature are supreme, and our path to the miserable end will approach soon, however, we are not acting-wise, taking a casual approach towards every matter of concern, the consequences of which will be unforgettable or even worse, no one will survive to witness the consequences. The wipeout of living creatures will be the most dreadful end done by human fraternity.

Avni was victimized. The actual culprits are pointing towards Avni for the killings. In true sense, it was we who created an environment to make Avni behave in self-defense. It was an act of coercion and late Anvi was not guilty.

The death of Avni was a self-propelled act of mistakes done by us and charges put on her.

May her soul forgive us. RIP humanity.

LIFE ON LAND AND SUSTAINABILITY

As Simon Sinek points out- we should always start with why? My objective of choosing ‘Life on Land’ as the issue of concern is because this is ‘need of an hour’. The future of the entire planet depends on the actions which humans will take concerning the use of land. The prima facie factor which will decide the fate of all the living beings is the ‘land and its use’ by none other than we humans. Gone is the time of industrial revolution when everyone was setting industry for mass production to reach out to the masses and increase the industrial setup for wealth creation and maximization. Now the need arises to choose between what is good for the sustainability of the planet earth and what is harmful to the environment. This is the time to think for what are necessary steps required to create balance on the planet to not let happen ‘the sixth mass extinction’. The basic resources such as wood, fresh water, and everything which was in abundance in just the last century and from time immemorial are now depleting at lightning speed which is the result of psychological human interference of consumerism greed with mechanized advancement for mass production of goods. The result of this industrialized setup of humans on the land has resulted in loss of forests which eventually resulted in loss of biodiversity, loss of indigenous population, unavailability of clean water due to self-propelled pollution activities by humans, climate change due to rise in industries, vehicles, housing; excessive consumption of resources like coal, oil, metal, etc and increase in pollution on every possible place- land, ocean, air, space. The question thus arises is why are we doing this? where are we heading? Are we going on the right path?

Now the first question is subjective, Towards destruction is the answer to the second question. The answer to the third question is obviously NO. The ultimate challenge lies in the following question –HOW MUCH TIME DO WE HAVE TO ACT ? or DO WE HAVE SUFFICIENT TIME TO MAKE THINGS RIGHT?

To answer the above question we must know what wrong is happening on the planet? firstly the origin or root cause for the problem is on the land itself. Till the 17th century, everything was functioning naturally and then came the ‘ so-called’ revolution which was necessary for that period but then no one would have thought of the consequences that would result from rapid expansion in industrialized civilization. The rise of megacities which in turn resulted in globalization and trade, population explosion on the planet which now count more than 7 billion, rise in pollution levels , extensive agriculture to cater the needs of growing population, insufficient spaces for settlements due to urbanization and thus happened encroachment in forests which disturbed the wildlife, trees, fast extinction of species at rate 100 times that of natural extinction rate.

Eventually, each country in some way or the other has disturbed the peace of the green planet. We were blessed with a beautiful life on a beautiful planet and now we are going below the threshold by cutting forests, polluting waters, killing biodiversity, excavating mountains, saturating land, causing desertification, degrading the quality of land and water and still not stopping. The basic understanding about nature and common sense proves that to sustain one must not harm the environmental life cycle, to sustain there should be minimum 33 percent of forest cover, to sustain there should be clean resources but still many amongst us, for their vested interests are window dressing the facts just to make their lives extravagant in a materialistic manner and not thinking about the future of the planet. If someone is to blame for all this mess around which will result in catastrophic extinction which will be called as the doomsday, then those are we ‘humans’ and specifically leaders among us, political, social, industrial, educational, cultural, religious, and others for knowing the effect and not acting for the cause.

The sustenance of every living lies in the hands of humans. We as intelligent or so-called intelligent creatures are the originator of the problem and we alone can solve it. Considering all the technological advancements and the limited time available we need to think for a unified solution because we have left with no other option. The millennium goals thus focus on the issue at large and create awareness among the communities for sustainable development. To make sure we don’t lose our focus on this critical issue Stephen Covey in his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People suggests a few key aspects

First things should always put first
we must begin with keeping the end in mind
We should always think of win-win,

considering as a correlation, these above points not only applies to interpersonal relationships but also applies to inter environmental sustenance.

Francois Hollande states-“The time is past when humankind thought it could selfishly draw on exhaustible resources. We know now the world is not a commodity.”

Let us not wait for others to act, start with yourself. care for the environment. promote sustainable development because every contribution matters …

What are your views on the topic? Do you care about the environment? Are you aware of sustainable development goals? Are you working with the environment? Leave your comment.

Have a wonderful life

Regards Aniket

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