Time is running fast. The clock is ticking while your days are numbered. Before the whole universe wages war against us, the man, wake up from the deep slumber and repent. Try to make this Earth green again.
Mahatma Gandhi rightly said, “Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs, but not every man’s greed.” This quote proved quite true today. In the morning, as I was going through the pages of the Class 12 Biology textbook, I came across some alarming statistics regarding the extinction of birds and other organisms. Statistics are not worthy of mention here. They are already in the textbook. The whole thing was about the destruction brought in by human beings to quench their unquenchable thirst. From Earth’s oceans to the sky, everything is under serious threat due to the callous nature of the so-called modern man.
The modern man has learnt how to colonise other celestial bodies of the grand universe. However, he has failed miserably to live as a human being on the surface of the Earth. The habitation of distant planets and satellites is no longer a dream. It is going to become a living and walking reality in the near future. Feeling proud and swelling his chest, he feels proud of his achievements. However, when it comes to compassion and sympathy, he is no longer fit to be called a man. Abdul Ahad Azad was right in saying that man was the light of reason, but he chose to be fire. Yes, it is undoubtedly true that man has chosen to become fire.
The word ‘fire’ metaphorically means the destruction of the whole planet Earth. The Almighty Allah made this universe for a purpose, and man’s role was to utilise the gifts from Him in an equitable manner. Extracting as much comfort and satiating his different types of hunger from the divine resources were among the obligatory duties of man. However, he became greedy, and as we read in psychological texts, his animal tendencies overshadowed his humane qualities and made him a savage animal in human form.
In the Class 11 English textbook, there is a chapter “The Ailing Planet: The Green Movement’s Role” in which the writer talks about the overexploitation of natural resources by the inhuman man. How are the Earth’s four principal biological systems—fisheries, grasslands, forests, and croplands—overexploited without the slightest remorse by greedy man? In the said article, the writer tries to open our closed eyes and nudges us to fathom the gravity of the situation—that planet Earth is like a patient. It needs immediate medication. Any kind of delay can prove fatal and set the orderly things on fire.
Keeping the above things in mind, it becomes crystal clear that, though aware of every crime man commits in the garb of modernity and the civilizational opium, he is digging his own grave. Air pollution has choked his lungs and has made his life a living hell. Smog looks like a never-ending thing. The sky-touching chimneys have poisoned the atmosphere of urban areas and are posing a grave threat to the lives and the economy of a country.
Oceans are now the storehouses of carbon dioxide. Oxygen supply is depleting, and the natural water bodies are becoming cesspools. Fishes are dead, and so are innumerable human beings due to diseases. Water has become poisonous, and a single sip of it can prove disastrous. As said above, fish are overexploited too. For protein greed, fish are mercilessly caught, cut into pieces, and gulped down with no mercy anywhere.
Phytoplanktons are beating their chests and are cursing the Crown of Creation for stooping so low that it cuts roots while watering the twigs. In this paradoxical situation, zooplanktons are screaming at the top of their voices. However, their voices are falling upon deaf ears. The same is the case with other innocent organisms of marine life.
Soil is also polluted. The toxic soil yields toxic plants that threaten our very existence. Biological magnification is apparent to all. The accumulation of toxic elements at the apex of the food chain that begins its journey from water ultimately ends at the last step, where the greedy human being is waiting with his ferocious fangs to gulp every kind of pure and impure thing to satiate his mindless ego of authority, has exhausted the last ray of hope.
Once upon a time, crops used to be as natural as they could be. Their deliciousness would not fade away. The flavour would last for a long time. However, at present, artificial fertilisers have wreaked havoc on the health of the soil and have turned the invaluable resource into venom. The green-looking crops look green on the surface. However, deep inside, there is omniscient poison waiting for us to harvest what we have sown.
The same is the case with the mindless noise. There is no peaceful place available now. Vehicles blow horns, loudspeakers scream like widows, and the industrial zones squeeze life out of us. No comfort, but only endless noise and nonsensical chattering have made silence sacrifice itself at the altar of noise.
The need of the hour is that man must repent and vow never to turn his need into greed. Wearing greedy cloaks, as mentioned above, can throw him into the deep abyss of no return. Mister man, think for a moment. If there is no environment, will you survive? No, the answer is simple. Will your egoism satiate your hunger and quench your thirst when all the glittering and invaluable components of the environment are gone? How long will you delude yourself with the fake glitter of ruthless materialism?
Do you think the clearing of forests and the poaching of animals on an unimaginable scale will not backfire? Pause, watch, and ponder over the evil deeds you have done. Reflect on your crimes. How many species are extinct because you used their blood to paint the walls of your homes to show off and impress worldly people? You callously dig the earth to overexploit minerals without caring for those minute organisms that have nowhere to go. Is it your religion? You can’t answer because you are deaf, blind, and dumb.
Man, death is written large on the horizon and is looming now over your head, too. You will be bowed down under the weight of your unforgivable sins. Before dying a merciless death, make a try again. Tear your clothes, scream at the top of your voice, roll in dust, and ask forgiveness from every living and non-living thing. Your doomsday is already decided. You have only to wait for it. However, before dying, retracing your steps and being humble can suffice in the long run.
Don’t believe in rhetoric. The environmental treaties and documents are like throwing dust into a person’s eyes. Take a vow not to chase your animal instincts involuntarily. Take small steps in the right direction of preserving the universe. It is okay to colonise outer space. However, try to prove yourself capable of living as a human being on this beautiful Earth. Time is running fast. The clock is ticking while your days are numbered. Before the whole universe wages war against us, the man, wake up from the deep slumber and repent. Try to make this Earth green again.
The writer is a teacher at a private school
Syed Mustafa Ahmad
sy************@***il.com