As materialism deepens, our bond with the environment weakens. It’s time to pause, reflect, and restore our relationship with the natural world.
By Syed Mustafa Ahmad
Instead of getting stuck in the debate about what “nature” really means, it is better to try to reconnect with it. On 25th May, the UPSC Prelims examination was held, which consists of two papers. In GS Paper 2, one passage talked about capitalism. That passage drew attention to an important fact: today’s economic system looks at everything in terms of profit and money.
In other words, almost everything in the world has been reduced to a matter of money. Every scene of nature is viewed through the narrow lens of material benefit. Aesthetic beauty has been buried long ago under ruthless materialism. Now, only profit is discussed. Even natural sights, which should bring peace to the soul, are turned into a way of making money. We no longer value beauty as something that exists in itself but only as a means to profit.
This reminded me of something one of my teachers once told me: “You earn money, therefore you are alive. When you shop in a big shopping complex, you are truly living.” These words kept echoing in my mind, and I had promised myself that one day I would write about such thoughts. Today I found the opportunity.
Recently, The Hindu in School, a publication of The Hindu, has carried many articles about droughts, ocean heat waves, coral bleaching, global warming, and the melting of the Hindu Kush glaciers. Inspired by this, I thought I should also express some thoughts about our relationship with nature, as a small effort of my own.
As I mentioned above, the race for material gains has distanced human beings not only from each other but also from nature, which is the source of all our needs. A wise person can never deny that if his whole life depends on something, it is foolish to destroy it. I read in an article that man is not moving away from nature, because, in fact, he uses natural resources daily. If these resources are not used for benefit, then what is their worth? This argument sounds valid, but it does not mean that in the name of progress we should destroy nature completely or that we should simply push it back to its untouched, ancient Ice Age form. Some thinkers even argue that to dominate nature is the very essence of life.
But when this attitude spreads, pollution is taken lightly, rising heat is ignored, and the disappearance of plants and animals is dismissed. This is materialism in its bluntest form. Arrogance adds to this distance from nature. A proud man may even hate birdsong, dislike the rain because it wets his clothes, and curse the sun because it dries them. His ego makes him want to destroy nature itself.
Another major reason for humanity’s distance from nature is our lack of knowledge. Our understanding of ecological systems is extremely limited. From phytoplankton and microalgae to the gigantic blue whales, every element of nature is vital. Coral reefs, usually hidden from our eyes, provide such benefits that human intelligence is stunned. Even modern biofuels and microbial batteries prove how deeply we depend on living organisms. Unfortunately, instead of reflecting on such wonders, we have reduced our vision of nature to a very narrow and selfish point of view.
Human beings should indeed progress, but never at the cost of reckless exploitation of nature. The melting of permafrost could bring back viruses that have mutated for thousands of years. Fighting with mighty mountains is like walking into the jaws of death. If the Hindu Kush glaciers melt completely, humanity itself will not survive. If magma beneath the Himalayas erupts, human survival will be impossible.
Many people write about environmental protection; countless volumes have been filled with essays on the importance of ecology. But the real issue is practice. If one truly wants to reconnect with nature, it should be done quietly and sincerely—perhaps by simply resting for a while in the lap of nature and asking oneself:
“O human being! Once you were the source of wisdom, so what went wrong? Why have you become so cruel and heartless? What blinded you that you now destroy the very life that sustains you?”
I request every reader of this piece to at least once ask themselves: What have we really done for the welfare of nature? If there are mistakes in this writing, I apologise. If any references are incorrect, please verify them. May Allah never sever our connection with nature.
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