Where do most of us plans our holidays to? Mostly To some nature spot! We love to feast eyes on the green trees, clear waters of lakes, rivers or the sea, watch the blue hills… take a walk in the woods, or alongside green fields breathing in heaps of fresh air… watching the drongo do the evening dives as the sun sets in a sky the colour of nothing the brush can paint! The more adventurous of us want to go scuba diving or a safari into jungles…
Why? We do not most of us know the reason but there is something relaxing to be in the midst of the wilderness, something soothing the eye, mind and soul.
A long time ago sitting at the edge of the Jamalabad fort hill in Ujjire I remember coming closest to a moment of enlightenment. When I merged with the world around me. I had done nothing but just sat there alone and let nature still my mind.
There are very few who haven’t felt joy borne of love when out in nature.
And yet, none of us can spare time to take up the cause of the very same wilderness. A whole mountainside goes bald to put up resorts. A forest is split wide open to make a tunnel, or worse it is torn apart to allow mining. We do not blink. We love, yet we do not lift a finger to protect what we love. At best, we believe some folks will do the fighting and filing suits.
We turn away on seeing someone throw trash into a river. Or stone a street dog. We shrug on hearing the death of a kite from manja strings. Millions of chicken were burnt to death in an animal factory, being cooped and nowhere to run.
Why are we silent?
We choose to believe that some sacrifices are to be made. After all we need those phones, cars and now, the bots to do our jobs and these require rare earth minerals and other elements that will have to be mined. We think a road cutting through a sanctuary is necessary as it reduces our travel time, even if that precious time is mostly wasted in mindless scrolling most times. For content that serves no purpose. No nation building activity.
The apex court of the nation termed a road tunnelling through fragile forest land as being a lifeline to the people amidst congestion on the roads! The forest becomes a mere hindrance.
We are stuck in a system where consumption is the monster that can never be satiated, because it is not directed at any need but objectifies everything and encourages endless growth that helps a few billionaires get wealthier. In forests we can only see wood, in oceans the fish and oil, in animals livestock and in humans a labour force, says Jeremy Lent, author of Ecocivilisation. ‘Every gain becomes a platform for further gain… every frontier, whether a rainforest or even the human nervous system becomes a new zone for monetisation.’
Limitless accumulation is the mantra packaged and sold as the aim of a good life. In this pursuit, where can one find time to take up arms for the forests, mountains or oceans?
Unless we can shake off this malignant behaviour and replace it with one of empathy and contentment, we will see the stress levels go up and happiness down. The few patches of nature will be vanishing fast. Perhaps AI will make up with video simulations of forests and oceans. Does it matter, as the brain receptor at work is the same??
As a first step, start talking on what you care about. If it is animals and the ills of animal farms, speak. If it is loss of biodiversity, share your concerns. Tell friends and colleagues what you know and how you feel. Herd behaviour has its uses. The more that people speak out, with media pitching in, the faster that governments will start taking notice and stop ignoring ecological concerns.
Speak, start conversations, join actions taken by local and other groups. Not only will you be helping the cause, but your knowledge base will widen.
By Jaya
