Change yourself before nature changes you
CHENNAI : The recent Tsunami that hit Indonesia’s Sunda Strait, killing hundreds of people and injuring thousands, reminded us of an important lesson — Nature, like time, is a great leveller.
According to authorities, there was no warning of the giant waves which struck at night, destroying hundreds of buildings, sweeping away cars and uprooting trees. In one stroke nature dealt a blow that evened out not only certain geological edges but also a lot of human irregularities. Historically, mankind has been ravaged by natural disasters and every single one of them has somehow influenced the way our society has turned out. That goes for the recent tsunami as well as the worldwide natural disasters that shook the Earth tens of thousands of years ago.
But, what can we learn from the natural disasters? Well, one thing that humans should understand clearly is that for sheer power, nature has no rival. Within a few minutes any one of the nature’s elements can erase all traces of life, property and habitation on any scale. Days after the recent tsunami, the authorities are still trying to pick up some clues from the shambles for pre-empting such disasters in future. Several scientific studies and technical interventions have been proposed to this end, but we cannot overlook the fact that natural disorders have their origin in human activities. How? It is simple!
We humans have been slaughtering the elements of nature like the golden-egg-laying-goose. For long, nature has been bearing the ruthless onslaught by greedy humans on its vital resources. It is this over-exploitation that has resulted in grave ecological imbalances which has brought the world to the brink of unpredictable disasters. Since years, scientists and environmental activists, on their part, have been warning us about the unpredictable disasters that our callous activities could bring, but despite their warnings, the truth seems to elude human reasoning.
The blind carnage wrought upon nature by our crass consumerism continues unabated. We still continue to overindulge in materialistic pleasures, continue to make bigger cars, dams and buildings, dig deeper into the earth and ocean for resources and release more and more toxins into the air, water and soil. Instead of taking note of our wrong actions and corrupt attitudes, we try to explain away calamities as aberrations that can be tackled by technology or calculations.
Recent tsunami brought in its wake disaster management measures for the future, but that does not strike at the root of the problem. If humans do not stop meddling with nature, all its elements may react together with greater force, making the predictions of doomsday a reality. Then it will be impossible even to provide relief and rehabilitation. We should never forget a fact that the outer world is a reflection of our inner world. In reality, the epicentre of natural calamities lies in the human mind. It is mental pollution that leads to environmental pollution.
The human minds of today have become so vicious that natural disasters of much greater magnitude are imminent. Most of the excesses committed by humans upon nature stem from vices such as greed, ego, anger, lust and attachment. Hence, the lasting remedy to all these problems lies in the purification of human minds by the removal of these vices. It’s still not too late, even now there is time to change our course towards more sustainable, nature-friendly practices.
It only requires a change in our mindset — from that of acquisition and consumption to one of sharing and caring. Remember! The 2018 tsunami in Indonesia may well be nature’s warning bells for us. If we continue living the way we have done so far, we may very well bring bigger disasters upon ourselves, and of the kind that will change the face of the earth. Think it over!