Web of life

All of human existence is but a single thread in the vast fabric of life. When it comes loose and we decide to go against nature we set ourselves up for only one of the two inevitable outcomes: either it will unravel the entire fabric or break.

Not only are many species of plants and animals becoming extinct and biodiversity is disappearing but the ecosystems that break down because of this are the same that provide us the food we eat, the water we drink and the very air we breathe. Pollution today has also started affecting us directly and has been identified as the major culprit to a host of serious health issues ranging from life threatening diseases, like cancer and asthma, to physical disabilities and psychological disorders.

With the very existence of human life itself threatened the importance of saving the environment is obvious. It is not that society is unaware of the urgency in the need to curb humanity’s insatiable appetite and decrease the waste and pollution it generates. Information about environmental degradation is easily available on the internet and its impact on the human condition often makes its way into the news and media.

Rather than discuss in detail here, again, how ‘to save the environment means to save yourself’ and that ‘we should save the world because our children will inherit it’ I have decided to focus instead on the benefit to society if its members can begin to think beyond their selfish goals and needs and extend consideration for other living things that share the planet with us.

I know that changing the world is a very big undertaking and we often do know where to begin. Let us begin with some small baby steps, with learning some simple civic sense ourselves. Rather than dumping our garbage into the open we should consider segregating it for recycling. Instead of simply throwing cigarette butts, toffee wrappers and empty cold-drink cans on the road we should make the extra effort to carry them with us till we can dispose it with responsibility.

The small savings we will make when we switch off lights we don’t need at home or even by not letting the water run unnecessarily while we are brushing our teeth will translate to big savings for the environment.

To be a society means to be connected to others in a rich and complex web of relationships. We come together to form societies because they give us comfort, security and continuity. If the members of a society can think beyond themselves and show consideration to others it makes the society more strong and beautiful. If a society can show consideration to the environment that it inhabits it makes the society enlightened.

There is a beautiful ‘Red-Indian’ saying I recently came across “a man's heart away from nature becomes hard; a lack of respect for growing, living things soon leads to lack of respect for humans too”