Once upon a time, there was a young and successful officer
going to his village. He was driving a bit faster in his new BMW. He saw a boy calling
for help on a turn. He thought he saw something but didn’t stop. Right then a
brick hit his car. Angrily, the officer applied breaks, went back to grab the
boy and started scolding him for the damages of his car. The boy pleaded, “I am
really sorry sir! Please forgive me!! But I have to use that brick as no one was stopping. My
brother fell from his wheelchair. He is hurt and I can not lift him by myself”.
The officer went speechless, and was shocked to see his handicapped brother. He
helped the boy. The boy thanked the officer with teary eyes and said,”May God
bless you sir!” Yes, that brick may have caused some damages to his BMW; but also taught him
a lesson - DO NOT GO very fast through life, otherwise just to draw your attention, someone
will have to hit you with a brick!
Can You relate to the story?!
Well, we are just similar to that officer. We... Human
beings often forget that we are largely dependent on Nature or Mother Earth and
become ignorant towards her. We have been so reluctant and negligent to the
preservation of natural resources and sustainable living that we had already
forgotten about the dynamic equilibrium of Nature. The time has come when we
are facing the increasing incidents of droughts, sun-strokes, cloud-bursts,
floods, land-slides, pandemics and number of deaths associated with it.
Ecological Integrity refers to the ability of an ecosystem
to support and maintain ecological processes and a diverse community of
organisms. In simple language, ecosystems have integrity when they have their
native components intact. So this ecosystem integrity underlines human health
and development. It can help regulate diseases by supporting a diversity of species
so that it is more difficult for one pathogen to spill over, amplify or
dominate. Human-induced environmental changes modify wildlife population
structure and reduce biodiversity, resulting in new environmental conditions
that favour particular hosts, vectors and/or pathogens. The loss of habitat and
biodiversity creates conditions for lethal new viruses and diseases to spill
into human communities. And if we continue to destroy our lands, we also
deplete our resources and damage our agricultural systems.
The WHO has declared the COVID-19 outbreak a Public Health
Emergency of International Concern. The outbreak has resulted in the untimely
death of tens of thousands worldwide, a global economic recession and the
collapse of health-care systems among many of the hardest-hit countries. To be
clear, the pandemic is a tragedy and has affected human life very badly,
overloaded hospitals, unemployment, economic disaster and it has
caused depression in millions of people and many countries around
the world have lockdown & quarantined its citizens to slow down the spread of
the virus. While the origin of the outbreak and its transmission pathway are
yet to be discovered, there are few important points worth reviewing...
Outbreaks that emerged or re-emerged recently are Ebola,
bird flu, Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), the Nipah virus, Rift Valley
fever, Sudden Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), West Nile virus, Zika virus
disease, and now, the Corona
virus. They are all linked to human activity.
According to www.worldenvironmentday.global,
the Ebola outbreak in West Africa was the result of forest losses leading to
closer contacts between wildlife and human settlements; the emergence of avian
influenza was linked to intensive poultry farming; the Nipah virus was linked
to the intensification of pig farming and fruit production in Malaysia and
emergence of bat-associated viruses was due to the loss of bat habitat from
deforestation and agricultural expansion.
The Covid-19 lockdown imposed throughout the world has
struck a chord in every one of us and it has made us thinking how nature is so
important for our day to day living. It gave us the time to stop, analyse
our deeds and introspect. It has made us see that our actions can very well
impact the Earth’s sustainability.
Traffic-free roads, plane-free skies and widespread
brick-and-mortar closings have made the planet a beneficiary of the coronavirus
pandemic - but only in the short term. Amid the destruction, the pandemic has
brought forth wins for a world that leaves room for humans and animals to
coexist happily.
From breathing pure air to greener trees, spotting various
wildlife into the urban settlements; there are some important environmental changes that we
have seen for this lockdown in India ,
which are improvement in air quality, reduction in air pollution and water of Ganga became fit for drinking in Haridwar. Animals have
more room to roam due to decreased pollution and human interference. Dolphins
are spotted near Kolkata ghats, increased numbers of flamingos in Mumbai and Arrival
of endangered Olive Ridley sea turtles ashore along the coast of Odisha to dig their nests & lay eggs; are some of the
examples.
It’s safe to say that no one would have wanted for emissions
to be lowered this way. COVID-19 has taken a grim global toll on lives, health
services, jobs and mental health. But, if anything, it has also shown the
difference that communities can make when they look out for each other - and
that’s one lesson that could be invaluable in dealing with climate change.
May this COVID-19 pandemic will end soon. But what we learn out of it will decide our future. Are we going to repeat all those mistakes we used
to do before or we going to change our detrimental actions? We all know,
digging up fossil fuels, cutting down forests and sacrificing the planet’s
health for profit, convenience & consumption is driving catastrophic
climate change. It’s time to abandon this destructive system and find
sustainable ways to inhabit our planet. This lockdown have made us realize that Life goes on even in the reduced speed of development...or rather, its more pleasant too! So why not to lead a simpler life voluntarily; rather than waiting for some tiny virus to force us to do the same?!
It is impossible to predict where the next outbreak will come from or when it will be. Growing evidence suggests that outbreaks or epidemic diseases may become more frequent as climate continues to change. By embracing a simpler way of life characterized by a compassionate & ecological consciousness, frugal consumption and inner development; people can change their lives and, in the process, move the world toward sustainable prosperity. The novel corona virus has taught us so many things.
It is impossible to predict where the next outbreak will come from or when it will be. Growing evidence suggests that outbreaks or epidemic diseases may become more frequent as climate continues to change. By embracing a simpler way of life characterized by a compassionate & ecological consciousness, frugal consumption and inner development; people can change their lives and, in the process, move the world toward sustainable prosperity. The novel corona virus has taught us so many things.
The question is – Are we ready to
learn?!
Today is 10th anniversary of Gifting Trees... Let us join
hands for embracing Voluntary Simplicity..!