Restore our Blissful Planet

Published on New York Spirit

“The preservation and nurturing of this planet are not different from aspiring for a good life for ourselves because there is no good life without a good planet.” – Sadhguru

Humans  – The inferior race living in delusion

We have been mistreating earth over thousands of years. The reasons are multifold. From considering ourselves to be a superior race to justify the exploitation as a basic need, the earth has been disfigured so badly that now the tormentor a.k.a. human himself is standing on the verge of extinction. And yet, he is blindfolded by his own belief that no one can destroy him. He himself is.

How insignificant you consider an insect to be? An irritant? Epidemic perpetrator? Crop-eater? You are in for a huge surprise then. Award-winning biologist and expert, E.O. Wilson, claimed that if all mankind were to disappear, the world would regenerate back to the rich state of equilibrium that existed ten thousand years ago. If insects were to vanish, the environment would collapse into chaos. He is not the only one to have established that.

The climate is drastically changing its moods. Animals are increasingly getting extinct. Natural is getting replaced by artificial preservatives. The devil of pollution is swallowing the environment on all levels. Health is becoming synonymous to pills. All of this is a result of us – the so-called humans- unable to control our senses. In spite of all these huge warning signs, why is that we are shrugging it off as someone else’s responsibility? Or just an obligation? Signing petitions online is not enough.  Even though the greater impact is expected by our governments and big industrialists as they are the ones who have a major role to play in understanding and implementing the ecological concern as the top priority in any policy they formulate. Although, we cannot just sit back and wait when some biggies are claiming it as a hoax.

There is a dire need of raising consciousness in this regard.  Even if few of us take a responsibility to lead and alter the consciousness of people around us – make them realize how significant their role is in saving the planet for themselves and their children – maybe we would stand a chance. Maybe, Mother Earth would forgive us. Maybe we might stall the impending doom.

Can we do something?

1.Buy environmental-friendly– Let there be a strong message to the media, marketers, and influencers that we consume only from the companies who are committed to saving the planet. From food to detergents, shampoos to baby wipes, make sure that we take only biodegradable, chemical-free products from a company who is using EPM (Environmental Preferred Materials). It requires awareness and mindfulness before buying. Not a big task at hand. Research. Buy. Recycle. Reuse. Without any fail.

2.Support NGOs and environmental leaders: There are wonderful people working in this direction in many countries. In 2015, two NGOs from China, Friends of Nature and Fujian Green Home won a lawsuit against illegal mining by a quarry company. Even though it is just one of the few examples where the case was heard and justice was given, it is a beginning nonetheless. The best one I know was in 2015 when Dutch citizens sued their government to act on climate change and won. This consciousness should spread like fire in the whole world.

3.Spiritual Ecology – Respect the land where you stand. All nature, its beings- no matter how small they might seem- are as precious as you are. The cognizance of the bigger picture of the purpose of life is the need of the hour. Saving planet is not just a political responsibility but a spiritual duty. Why? U.S. Advisor on climate change, James Gustave Speth, said: “I used to think that top environmental problems were biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse, and climate change. I thought that thirty years of good science could address these problems. I was wrong. The top environmental problems are selfishness, greed, and apathy, and to deal with these we need a cultural and spiritual transformation.”

It is difficult to restore the environment just by singular effects as we have already done much damage. Nonetheless, we should reduce our individual carbon footprints but also make it our responsibility to unite in communities and raise awareness and put it into action.

Let’s take full responsibility to heal our Mother Earth for we are the ones who are nurtured by her only. It is not saving the planet, it is saving us. The sooner we realize it, the best it is for us.

May we realize and act upon the necessity to save our planet!