My last post on the topic of the environment triggered various responses from those who cared to read it. Some saw it as hypocrisy, some as a noble thought, some others as yet another useless been-there-done-that crusade with a half-life of max one day. I feel I need to say a few more words on the issue.
See the topic itself is such that it is difficult to approach it without some sort of cynicism. Much has been said, much has been spread, much less has been done. From hopefuls to the crown of Miss Universe to presidential candidates to multi-millionaire celebrities, everyone has a take on it; everyone has pearls of wisdom to offer. Therefore, another voice shouting out the same thing doesn’t really have much of an impact, to put it mildly. Every now and then some school or the other will organize some presentation or the other on the topic; every now and then news reports of global warming will act as fillers between celebrity wedding coverages and bomb blast reports; every once in a while some sort of protest march against poaching or felling of trees will go on somewhere. We have become as used to them as to the cause itself, and as dismissive of them as we are of the actual threats.
But does that mean no one should do anything about it? Does that mean the lectures, the marches and the school projects for EVE must stop? Does that mean the organizers of the beauty pageants must stop taxing the poor little brains of the models on display with predictable questions on the save-earth-crusade? Does that mean no one should make any noise about it for fear of being labeled “politically correct” and “hypocritical”?
Of course not! Every bit counts. I can almost see the involuntary sneer when my reader reads that done-to-death phrase. But the fact remains that in spite of all the negative vibes associated with it, the dissemination of information through the spoken or written word is still one of the most important steps in dealing with major problems. Every time we roll our eyes over some brainless beauty rattling off rehearsed lines on global warming, every time we struggle to stay awake at some boring presentation in school on the ozone hole, every time we come across Cameron Diaz advocating power conservation on vh1, a tiny bit of it sticks in our minds, the part of our memory dealing with the issue gets reinforced. If someone keeps telling you over and over again that you’re doing something wrong, a vague feeling of guilt is bound to develop – and you won’t be allowed to forget about it in a hurry if people around you keep on making the right noises, no matter how clichéd, no matter how boring, no matter how redundant. It is necessary. It is necessary to keep talking about it, to yak, yak, and yak until everyone knows what’s going on, until it is so firmly imprinted that people will unconsciously switch off the taps and turn off the lights on leaving a room. That maybe a small thing. But it’s important. It’s important to show people what they can do without having to stick out their necks. Then when that basic level of commitment and concern has been reached, one can talk of further activity.
Obviously not every person on earth can become a crusader for the environment. It is not possible and no one expects them to. But the least they can do is modify their lifestyles a bit, a little bit. What they can do is know what’s going on, so that they can tell their kids. It is not right to underestimate the power of the cliché. See not all of us are in a position to do something major like go on tree-planting missions. I am a student, and scoring in tests and chilling out with friends will obviously take precedence over collecting plastic bags from the roads and supervising their recycling.
But at least I can spread the word, at least I can express my concern for the earth and my solidarity with those who are trying to make a difference by talking about it, by incorporating tiny changes that I’m asking everyone else to, till I’m in a position to do something more about it. ‘They also serve, who only stand and wait’.
13 comments:
hmmm....well said.
At least u r doing something bout it, even if its just multiple posts on the cliches :P
well said indeed...as much as it pains my petty bong jealousy to see you emerge as a good writer...well, you are getting better and better with each post. Case in point-I actually sat and read your article and thought about your viewpoint despite the fact that I was familiar with it already...good job!!
Like they say, "Boond boond se ghat bharta hain" :)
no1 is sayin ppl shldnt help. of course every1 shld help, but dat dosnt mean dey want to. ur spreadin d word just like billions hv don b4 and like billions willdo later, but u cant force ppl.
@rishabh: it's not much but something is better than nothing
@saurya:thank you!!!
@bouncer: yay! you're actually reading my blog!! thanks!
@sid: i'm not trying to force anyone.i'm just trying to talk about something that i feel strongly about.
do you know what the problem is? ignorance!
the possibility of a environmental collapse is not as remote as it seems. it can happen within our lifetime. and now though it seems rosy to be chilled out on grass and talking rock and roll, some twenty years down the line, when you have two kids haggling to take them to the zoo, to pay exorbitant amount for fuel would indeed pinch.
secondly, there are engineers working on the issue. they are paid for it. wish it was ethics and not money that spoke!
third, the cynical engineer is defeated. he cant believe he can make a difference.
ah! guss, i have done a cdc on this, i can crap for hours!
@sap: tell us about it then, dont let us wallow in ignorance. we ought to be shaken out of our reveries
Point noted.
But think about it.. Man's just a bloody parasite whos been trying to extract every little bit from nature for his survival and for his comforts... be it food (plants & all possible parts of animals, even the privates at times), be it energy (dams, mining, deforestation), be it infrastructure (roads, rails, nuclear power plants)... It's always been about HIM! Now when people talk about conservation, its again about man doing it for HIS own sake... it could be because of the satisfaction he gets (come on, who doesn't love to bring about a change!) by putting in some sense into the majority (yea.. when majority start doing the same, the topic becomes cliched!).. it could be because of the media hype that one gets (pam doin a nude ad for supporting peta.. that brought the ageing pam back into the limelight!).. it could also mean that theres a lot of money that can be milked by doing such campaigns (the for-earth music concerts & the viewership rights or the government's stand on these environmental issues & the backing that they get from companies pumping money into alternate energy sources)... or it could also be because he's worried about his kids' survival (nah.. coz that would also mean that he wouldnt make all these weapons & wage wars & risk being attacked in future)... or it could jus serve as a nice piece to debate upon with your friends... at the end of the day, its jus that by talking about conservation, some stand to gain an ego boost, others lots of money & the rest get publicity...
Nothing changes. I still prefer car to walk, keep my CFC producing AC switched on all the time, eat fish for dinner and complain that now the Chinese government is trying to industrialize the Tibet region as well.. & maybe if I am conscious enough to feel guilty about my hypocrisy & conscious enough to silence it, I can switch off the light before I go to bed!
If I tell you that you have survived in Pilani in extreme weather conditions and now you can survive sitting in your Bombay flat without switching on the fan, will you keep it switched off?! It's all about what you define as need and greed... Man will play around & spark off debates on the definitions that other men make... as long as HE stands to gain something out of it!
I rest my case.
Phew! And that, to my knowledge, is the longest comment in blogging history. (Bravo! Pat on the back!)
@sriram: your comment seems like you don't like the fact there's nuclear power plants, hydel dams, hell even a light bulb!
@sap: "wish it was ethics and not money that spoke!" - why not? what's unethical about money speaking? Contradictions don't exist - check your premises.
@nilanjana: again, inductries are doing it - it's called an environmental audit or also renewable energy divisions
@Ram: I agree that selfish motives galvanize people into action like none other. But don't you think the ends justify the means, even the motives in this case? as long as something is being done, does it really matter why? It's like being good in order to go to Heaven....if that concept keeps you good, why not?
and btw, thanks for creating history on my blog :)
@jay: We all know they have to be doing something, but I don't quite know what exactly they are doing.Perhaps they should publicize their efforts more, let the public know their findings. I'm sure many of them are, but there's always room for more.
@Ram: I've seriously stopped believing man is a purely selfish creature.
There's no evidence, really. Men don't vote by their wallets, they vote by their principles and gut instincts.
Time and time again, analytic folks (read: we) fall for logic. We pretend selfishness is good. And we quote Rand for good measure.
For once, keep aside the logic and look at the facts. (No need to include them, and beat your record :) They're plain enough)
I agree with your post. And by posting it and responding to the various comments above, you are doing something. But you could do more. Being a student isn't an excuse. Actually, it's an advantage: you have a large mass of people to influence and behaviors to change at an age where it's relatively easy to change. Which is why your post's a start.
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