Are We Looking for Our Home at the Wrong Address? 🏠
"Read this story in Hindi and English below to see how our shared responsibility defines our future."
Often, when someone asks us, "Where is your home?", we instantly point to the brick-and-mortar structure where we live. But if we think deeply, that house is merely a 'shelter' that protects us from sun and rain. The irony is that we spend our entire lives decorating a structure that doesn't even last two generations.
In reality, we have two other homes that stay with us every moment and protect us:
- Our Body (Our personal home)
- The Earth and Sky (Our eternal and global home)
Our body is our 'private home,' and even it is not immortal. Yet, for its comforts and external glamour, we have staked the very 'Earth' that has been nurturing every living being for ages.
Today's selfish human is ready to accept the destruction of the entire world for the momentary comfort of their mortal body. The question to ponder is: if the 'foundation'—this Earth—does not survive, whom will this decoration serve?
Is Our Legacy Only 'Toxic Air' and 'Salty Water'? 🌍
Our body is most dear to us because we feel its joy and pain instantly. But we have become blind toward our largest and most fundamental home—the Earth. We have reduced this Earth, which fed countless generations and is the basis for our future ones, to a mere commodity for consumption.
No matter how much nutritious food we gather or how many expensive jewels we wear through private efforts, if the air is not clean and the water is not pure, it is all in vain. The availability of clean air and water is our collective responsibility.
Who is Responsible for the Repairs?
If the body is hurt, we apply ointment immediately; if a wall of the house breaks, we repair it at once. But because the Earth belongs to 'everyone,' we shift the responsibility of its care to 'others.' Everyone wants the benefits first, but everyone steps back when it comes to conservation.
Sohan, Rohan, and the Game of Partition 🐄🌾
Here, I am reminded of an old story......
There were two brothers—Sohan and Rohan. Sohan was clever by nature, while Rohan was simple and innocent. Over time, a dispute arose, and it came down to a partition. Sohan showed his cunning and said with a smile, "Brother, we will divide everything equally into halves." They had three main assets: a house, a buffalo, and a standing crop in the field. Sohan proposed a 'strange' plan:
- He kept the ground floor of the house and gave the upper floor to Rohan.
- He took the rear half of the buffalo for himself and gave the front half to Rohan.
- He kept the upper part of the crop (the grain) and handed over the lower part (roots and straw) to Rohan.
The result was that Sohan would comfortably milk the buffalo and take the grain home. Poor Rohan, on the other hand, had to feed the buffalo all day, repair the roof of the house, and was left with only straw.
Eventually, a wise person suggested a trick to Rohan.
The next time Sohan sat down to milk the buffalo, Rohan started hitting the buffalo’s mouth, making it go wild. He began digging the floor of his upper story and set fire to the roots of the crop in the field. When Sohan screamed, Rohan calmly said, "Brother, this is my portion; I can do whatever I want with it!" Sohan was left speechless. He realized that benefits only come when responsibilities are shared equally. Finally, he partitioned honestly, and both brothers became 'co-consumers' and joint caretakers of their resources.
Nature Has No Walls of Partition 🌳
Like Sohan in the story, today we are all playing the role of the 'clever brother.' We want every benefit from the Earth in the maximum amount, but we leave the responsibility of its care and damage to others.
A Bitter Truth:
No matter what excuses one makes, remember that everyone will have to pay the price. In nature, there is no wall of partition that can save anyone. When hailstorms fall, air becomes toxic, or crops turn poisonous, that poison reaches everyone's plate and everyone's lungs equally. Those who consider themselves in 'profit' today, along with their next generation, are also within the circle of danger.
Money vs. Nature:
The 'ego' of buying everything with money has been shattered from time to time. Rising temperatures and erratic weather do not change their path by looking at someone's bank balance.
In our spiritual philosophy, the Earth is revered as 'Mother' and 'Goddess.' If the mother is unhealthy and malnourished, the offspring can never be healthy. Today, we are receiving toxic air, water, and food as a result of our own actions. The future is even more terrifying; with oxygen depletion and poisoned food, the existence of the next generation is at stake.
Recent surveys show that people are now hesitating to bring children into this world because they see a dark future. Whether you believe in reincarnation or not, you cannot deny the birth of the next generation. Whether it is your rebirth or the birth of your children—they will have to suffer the consequences of our negligence today.
We can still prevent this destruction to some extent, provided we become vigilant right here and right now. We must keep an eye on the environmental impact of our every action—and this vigilance should not be for today (Earth Day) alone, but until our very last breath.
10 Practical Resolves to Save the Earth: Make these small changes a part of your daily life:
- Water Conservation: Stop the wastage of water at all costs.
- Quit Plastic: Neither use plastic nor burn it.
- Carry a Bag: Develop the habit of taking a cloth bag from home when going to the market.
- Save Paper: Do not burn paper unnecessarily; use it wisely.
- Recycle: Dispose of recyclable items only in the correct bins.
- Respect Food: Consider the wastage of food a crime.
- Value Resources: Wasting anything is like committing the sin of snatching it from someone in need.
- Chemical-Free Living: Minimize the use of everyday items made of chemicals.
- Embrace Simplicity: Accept a simple and plain life not as a 'scarcity' but as a 'choice.'
- Avoid Show-off: Live your precious life for meaningfulness, not for display.
In the end, as I often say— closing your eyes like a pigeon does not avert the danger, because the 'cat of destruction' is watching you. 🐈⬛
🙏 Take care of the Earth, so that it can take care of you and your future generations. 🙏
April 22: Best Wishes for Earth Day… 💐
🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲
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