We need hope. Our prime narrative has been success at work. The core competency is now measured in professionalism and excellence. That narrative has to change. We must spin stories, artwork and political dialogue around giving hope to sustainability of human life on planet earth. We have to give dignity to our animal nature and live by the natural law as much as possible. Some may mistake this as a call of the wilderness. No, it is not about giving up or giving in; it is about strengthening our ties with each other, living as a global human community, not destroying nature by our activities. that is the kind of narrative we must present and push. Natural laws maybe easy to understand but so difficult to follow; the more we explore that theme in our art, culture, stories and movies the more likely we are to create a sustainable lifestyle for human community.
Read more: Poetry has beat; if not, beat it. – by Sreelatha Chakravarty
“You are responsible for the matter you create in this world.” There can be two kinds of hell to create… Jam up all waterbodies with plastic, die of thirst because of water pollution Or alternately… Give up on plastic production! And I can’t imagine the world without it, though it was the world around 150 years ago or less when humans survived. Let us imagine no vehicles and limited cooking, also 6am to 6pm day for it will be lights out after evening. Is that hell scary enough? Or opt for that tech world where we retire into caves with our gadgets until plastic and fibre is no longer available. All soil infertile, shores flooded, only vegetation left is seaweed. We eat only fish, even birds and animals have no food either. The glaciers melt, the sea levels rise and it is a completely blue planet. Or we get so lonely, displaced and in emotional pain that each one tells the other I have got the blues brother. Two kinds of Hell we can create; only place to go, up to Heaven.
Dear earth inhabitants,
The fact of the matter is that matter is a constant mass, and we are being overpowered by plastic and other non-biodegradable mass. Somewhere in the future we will be eliminated to make space for them. Already happening perhaps. Count your blessings and give thanks. Do you see any sense in this?
Let’s do a personal waste assessment exercise here:
How many television sets have you seen changed in your own households in your lifetime? How many telephones including mobiles? How many crockery and utensils? How many plastic wrappers and containers? How many pens, laptops, stationary? How many mops, doormats, waste bins? How many furniture pieces and decor items? How many medicine packets and equipment’s that were used on you?
That includes most of your non-biodegradable personal waste? Did they get recycled? Did they end up in landfills? Did they end up in rivers and oceans? Ever think about it? Now so much population around the world and equivalent waste…just imagine! I would like to think they all are still in circulation, but I very much doubt it. Can we continue like this? Is it sustainable development?
Humans would never stop what we call progress and development. But then Nature has its own ways to make us comply– as recent earthquakes, floods, wildfires etc have shown– making refugees out of well-to- do citizens.
All I am saying is that we have to learn to say enough! It will all depend on what our children and grandchildren learn. We live out the narratives we are instilled with in our childhood. We can be positive even when we live by Nature’s laws if we learn it is in our best interest. What we have, we have and we try to circulate and preserve. I know it is an idealistic approach but very necessary to balance out the progress story that most of us march ahead with. I am playing the villain, anti-hero here but that’s what being on Nature’s side wants me to advocate. Do I follow it practically? No! That is why I am not taken seriously. But I identify myself as a story teller, not activist. Mebbe someday it will lead me to live a minimalist, eco-friendly life. Till then relax and scare myself with worries and spread idealistic stories.
Keep it simple, please. I look at content on social media and I think to myself– what in the name of hell are we humans busy doing? Who has designed this world of humans? Agriculture? Ok. Entertainment? Ok. But everything else in between? Just complicated logistics. Right? Isn’t that it? Think about it. It is all about growing food and getting it to our tables. And of course, keeping ourselves safe doing it. Throw in a little entertainment.
Suppose, just imagine, if we are guaranteed food, shelter, clothing and health care would the society of humans continue to function the same way? Would we get educated? Would we work for others or work at all other than help in growing food, building shelters, manufacturing clothes and providing health care and working to get it to the people? Think about it. What if the way we understand the mechanics of movement in our world suddenly changes? Suppose material world gains dominance on us and keeps us under house arrest except when we want to produce, seek and eat food or shit it out? Only our basic instincts work to move us, and all acquired instincts becomes ineffective? What if?
It ends with us. So, there is no utopia but neither will we have retropia! I don’t want to be the ‘told you so’ aunty of this era. I really am not banking on my predictions to come true. I would rather that I became pleasantly surprised by something beautiful I never imagined. it is what it is. Cannot turn a blind eye to reality. It is a curse to anticipate trouble and live into the future. All things considered life will not defy mathematics and science but most importantly it is the interaction of biology and geography that is why; if it really were an illusion then it would be unharmed and safe simply by wishful thinking.
Surely life is in constant flux and keeps everyone at war with each other for survival. Parallel worlds exist, what is black here is white there, what is good here is evil there. Therefore, if we consider something as true then the opposite of it is also truth. Someday, we may accept death as a natural result of the Universe’s fluidity and flux, learning to let go rather than preventing or grieving over it. Pills and surgeries will someday overcome death, or philosophy will overcome the noble profession of medicine? If AI takes over, self-help may take over and just as it is common to have BP machines, thermometer, glucose monitoring strips at home we may also have our very own personal AI doctor at home. Not impossible.
A rave new world?
There’s something that tells us that the secret to life on Planet Earth is shrouded in secrecy and beyond our understanding. We have invoked the concept of an Almighty, we have used the language of science and mathematics to trace its origin and explain its evolution. But something remains elusive. That is why we could never master the lives of our own species. Our vulnerability is our greatest fear. Death is what we aim at avoiding. What if we could transition through our spiritual existence knowing that we will be provided a body when we are ready to be seeded in reality? What if? Our consciousness is not our awareness. Awareness is subject to senses and brain capacity whereas consciousness is largely untapped knowledge. Even if we do not go to school we learn. We find our teachers and we learn survival. Internet and social media apps have revolutionised human existence yet again. It has undermined the importance of education and given the reins in the hand of our subconscious angels and demons. The future world that is being created is a by product of our subconscious brain rather than the frontal brain as was the case earlier. We will definitely get a newer world and as automated machines we may just go through the motions rather than debate and weigh our options before a deed. Something will drive us, rather than we being in control. Some may say that the Almighty has taken over irrespective of what science explains it to be, AI or something else.
Hope for future. Hope it all turns out fine. Nothing seems a mystery anymore. Most of us have lost curiosity for the unknown. All stories that had to be told are already told or written. All melodies that had to be composed have been sung. All equations that had to be solved has been formulated. All the diseases that had to be cured has been medicated. All the construction that had to be built has been erected. All the art that had to be created has been attempted. And how do we know this? We do not find what we want, that is how. The mental exhaustion of humanity is evidence of the fact that we are done creating. Now we are more interested in manifesting, not manufacturing. So, it is not a renaissance we are facing, it is a celebration and consequent hang over. Now Nature is at play again, in full force, taking on the role of creator and destroyer. All the weapons we have will not help us put up a defence against destructive elements of Nature. Thus, naturally we surrender and pray, pray to Nature itself. All the prayers have already been said too. Now what do we do? Live mechanical lives or recede to animal nature? It will be decided by Nature matrix out of interactions with our thought matrix. We wait for our collective karmic consequences. Hope it all turns out fine.
The mortal truth.(A poem) You have to believe That all the fridges and televisions you have used Since the time they were invented Are not lying under the sea Or that they have not formed a mountain range They have magically disappeared Like the used brushes The broken ceramic and glass crockery(they do not cut your feet accidentally on the beach) Like the tyres of vehicles And outdated models of vehicles themselves And the rest of the things They have magically disappeared The question is do you believe in magic It is a bit like asking do you like poetry In the midst of all these words arranged differently That somehow makes more sense And is not poetry.
Imagine the extreme Nature- friendly survival of a character living in apartments in futuristic cities:
· eat only salads- veggies, fruits and nuts
· commute only by using legs
· work from home
· go shopping with a cloth bag to local market
· send laundry to launderers who use ecofriendly products
· bathe and clean with ecofriendly products
· try to grow some of your own food–herbs and spices
If you think this is extreme, then do comment what you think is a working solution for global pollution and climate change. Psst…I am simply developing a character in a book of fiction that I am writing. Do you like him or her? Food for thought.
Radical though it may sound the humanity’s future is poised on: Eradication of plastic Banning of private vehicles Stopping drilling for oil and mining Stopping deforestation and focusing on recycling Stopping concrete expansion and not utilising more land for farming Stopping food waste and water wastage Stopping production of all non-biodegradable products Finding Water conservation and purification methods or harvesting sea water for drinking purposes and storing rainwater Stopping the mad rush for consumerism and living frugally etc. Nothing like this is gonna happen out of choice perhaps but will we be able to prevent it from happening as a form of natural or man-made disaster? So the choice is there– adopt and adapt keeping a more or less comfortable life OR wait for natural or man-made disasters to convert more and more into the natural way.
I can only pray. LET’S ALL PRAY.
Surrender is a bitter-sweet word. The thing with human ego is that it doesn’t want to surrender. Fighting or taking flight, it wants to overcome the problem or leave it as it is. Whereas the third alternative i.e. surrender, though the sweetest word on earth but it is hard to settle upon, a bitter pill to swallow. Why? Possibly because it reeks of slavery or compromise or losing the rights and privileges that one is currently enjoying. Yet, surrender is what opens up the possibility to a new way of living and a complete realisation of the cause one is fighting for. With surrender comes compliance and a clearer understanding of things and alignment of our aura and energy to that which is being dictated by the Nature complex. Every drama has to have the final curtain call and with it comes our acceptance and acknowledgement of an experience we have lived. But it is accompanied by a sense of loss.
Modern world, the empires still exist. Corporates are tribes. Multimillion companies are empires. We happily work under them and set order to the chaos. We cannot think beyond the economy structure. Some who get the feeling of being trapped try to live and survive off grid. Recently do we see an acceptance of the order of the system? Countries and governments still exist but the shots are mostly called by company and corporate owners. Whichever market they conquer becomes their territory. Nothing much has changed really.
Shaping the future with our words and pictures. That is what we are doing. We are shaping the future with the content we are putting up on Internet. There are all sorts, starting from visionaries with the good of the Universe at large in their intent to troublemakers who perpetuate disease and disorder. The Internet is a more comprehensive capsule of the psychosocial impact of people’s thoughts. Thank you to all those who are security keepers and help make the world a better place to live in than it would have been otherwise. Thank you.
Futuristic questions for a future race (a new kind of Olympics)
1.Which will be the first country to stop production of non-biodegradable matter and only focus on recycling?
2. Which will be the first country to only use clean and sustainable energy without producing dangerous waste?
3. Which will be the first country to ban private vehicles and only have public transport? 4. Which will be the first country to cut food waste to almost zero and restoring its soil fertility? 5. Which will be the first country to effectively manage its waste including e waste, concrete waste, hospital waste, industry waste, and all other kinds of waste that pollute land, rivers, air and ocean?
Infinitesimal. More power to the narrative that says… I am enough but I want to give love and receive love That says… I am equal to an animal and I will survive the concrete jungle in a civilised way That says… I believe in a higher authority which is the Nature complex that binds me in quantum mechanics That says… One day this world of humans wouldn’t harm Nature at all and live in amicable solution to the environment More power to all these narratives I feel so little , so humbled and so quiet…what am I but another morsel, another option, another bite for this Universal hunger of infinite material abundance.
Natural disasters– are they becoming more frequent and more intense OR are we focusing on them more in the media?
Whatever narrative we feed ourselves must be bordered with a silver lining, I guess. As I write on the social media, I must be careful that the content I put out must be constructive and offering hope. We don’t want a generation of youth fed on pessimism. Let us then focus on improving our actions and the way that we interact with each other.
Questions that need to be answered…
1. Can we avert disaster for humanity and keep the conditions on planet earth habitable for them? 2. How do we convince everyone that we need radical measures to do so? 3. What have we learned so far and why are we still trying to innovate and invent rather than withdraw and compromise?
These are a few questions that need to be answered honestly before we make changes. If these questions are answered, we will be more compliant.
At this rate… we will neither save ourselves, nor save the world; our best bet therefore is to go natural– revert! reverse! retrace! Our interaction with nature changed to old ways; and or suspend! suspect! stop… further development that harms nature in any way!
The future world.
I have no idea what the future world will be like. I am hoping it will have found a solution to pollution. Also, I hope the weather conditions will be conducive to human existence. The economy will have found its anchors. Food and water availability will be comfortably provided. Housing security will be for everyone. It is not a prayer or appeal; it is how I personally wish the future to unfold. If you see any problem in my vision, then please let me know.
Observe the world. We have normalised so many things… Like marriage Like work culture Like home-making Like schooling Like car riding Like restaurants and cinema Like bars and nightclubs Like sports Phones Computers A.I. Social media Competition Contemplation Community Societies Hospitals Police Army Flying Swimming Walking Yes, we could have continued to crawl into caves and stayed there until it was time to hunt and forage for food or seek mates; but no, we forged many cult movements and we normalised it Last but not least, Religion too! We believe in some things Just too easily. And does it do any harm to nature? We don’t care, do we? We have normalised many unnatural things; We are evil in agreement with each other of many criminal activities;
From observer we become judgmental and kick start then the green revolution for future living!
Scouring for hope.
Read today in Google news that laundry is a top source of micro pollution. you still think it is not a lost game? can we ever stop doing laundry or have biodegradable washing liquids? I know there are some options available using orange peels and such, but who is making it available commercially? Will they i.e. biodegradable washing liquids ever become a feasible choice? I don’t think so, unless they are the only choice available.
Economy cannot direct environment friendly living; it doesn’t make sense. economy is about products, products and newer products. newer, bigger, better, more convenient. How can that sort of industry teaches us how to live within our means?
The only industries that could comply to an environmental friendly goal is perhaps the service industry and hospitality industry. Till it is all sorted out let us be gentle and courteous to each other and try to fit in.
Simple logic, complicated business. Sustainability means prolonging life for humans on earth, is it? Or does it mean prolonging for a few years only so that the end is not averted but simply delayed? Economies aim at SDG i.e. sustainable developmental goals. What environment-friendly living means is going back to the natural way of living except we could continue living in concrete houses and having most of the facilities that would keep us comfortable. Could we aim at a zero-pollution lifestyle? We have lost the game and are buying time to save face. Economies and SDG’s are not in sync with environment friendly living. The indigenous communities know how, we are clueless and only buying time to save face.
Feeling like a Global Citizen… …when you care for Planet Earth That’s it. If you can think of Earth as your home, you can qualify as a Global Citizen.
A few doubts…
How is recycling sustainable when there is no reduction in production of the original? on the contrary, it may drive more production of the same if the recycled products become popular. it is feeding the industry of non-biodegradable products. Secondly, how is river or ocean cleaning going to be effective without stopping the dumping of more waste? Will that stop? Will the dumping stop? thirdly, how is fossil fuel use going to decrease with pushing demand and production of more fossil fuel using vehicles and equipment? Lastly, will we not run out of food if soil becomes infertile, or run out of drinking water if pollution continues? Like we made the world of humans polio free and smallpox free, could we make it pollution free? Who are we really fooling?
Hope! Here’s to a world where the youth is coming into its own. It is very important that the young take over. But it is equally important that they keep the older people in the fray. More so in the present world. Why? Because they need to learn from mistakes to avoid repeating them in the future world. If we could consider it from a more adventurous perspective, then it is an exciting world which is planning on renewing humanity as ecofriendly creatures. Of course, it would involve a lot of sacrifices but then the thought behind it of saving the world will perhaps compensate for it. Common young people! you are encouraged to stay motivated and stay happy as you work on this serious issue of restoration of our planet earth to its former glory.
A letter to the next gen.
Do not be afraid. Your ancestors have done what they done in ignorance. We are not looking up to you to save us. Let us all come together and salvage what we can. sustainability and development has to be balanced. development is not going anywhere, just that its meaning will change from concrete to green; and repair and rebuild and regeneration and fortifying what we have already got in the name of development. The workforce will happily shift to forestry than deforestation, the labourers in construction industry will happily take on the onus of responsibility of disaster management, the Internet will be the campfire that will spread the ideas in camaraderie and co-operatives, the influencers will advertise a more ecofriendly world. Let’s all start work on it and feel as if we are on a mission rather than feel lost.
About the Author—
Sreelatha Chakravarty is an Indian poet, author, and medical professional currently residing in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Her published works include An Eternal Romantic, Love and Lovelessness, and Polycystic Expectations. She has also contributed poetry and short stories to various literary anthologies. Her writing explores themes of love, humanity, society, nature, and the evolving human condition. She can be reached at lasree77@gmail.com.