We are part of this Earth and should behave so

The World Earth Day passed off without much significance. All that one could see was articles available on various websites of various newspapers and other news portals, few tweets by celebrities which sounded more like moral lessons in schools. Neither the central government nor the respective state governments have taken any initiative to make it into a major event despite the fact the relationship between man and nature has reached a stage of imbalance and overuse.

Everyone speaks about it but no one has done anything significant to create awareness or even kindle some kind of thinking among the people that human beings need to be in tune with their surroundings and follow the ebb and flow of seasons.

The only silver lining is that some schools have played some video clippings and told the students on the importance of protecting the nature and gave some simple tips to protect mother earth. If it were some other day like Valentine's Day or Halloweens Day or some other such Day, a lot of commercial activity would have been there and people too would have come forward with all kinds of ideas to celebrate it but in case of Earth Day everyone conveniently ignored it.

As we have distanced ourselves from nature and continue to do so in the name of development and economic activity, we have forgotten our role and responsibility and now we don't even recognise that we have a close relationship with nature. In the name of trade and creating a sustainable economy, we have become greedy and have resorted to greed and exploitation of the earth and its resources.

In India Earth is considered as mother. But just as we are seeing the society as to how mothers are neglected and dumped in old age homes and how the children have distanced themselves from parents in the name of work pressure, Mother Earth too has been exploited and ignored. We refuse to admit that if planet is in danger we cannot be safe.

With advancements in technology and agriculture though, humans began to find more efficient ways of sustaining themselves. These advancements allowed for more permanent settlements, which led to rapid population growth and a distancing from nature.

As society evolved, populations grew and more and more resources were required to fuel the expansion. With breakthroughs in agriculture, settlements became more permanent and cities began to take shape. This shift to city life inadvertently led to a distancing from nature. While many people were still in-tune with nature on a subsistent level, the need for more and more resources began to change our regard for nature.

Although our distancing from nature began several thousand years ago with advancements in agriculture and social order, it is the age of industry to which we owe our modern regard for nature. The growth of cities allowed for a separation between people and nature and our obsession with convenience and efficiency beckoned a new perspective on the environment. With technological advancements, nature became something we were no longer apart of and entirely subject to, but something that we could control and profiteer from. The growth of industry enabled humans to truly dominate the landscape and disrupt the natural systems that have been in place for billions of years.

I am not talking about ecology. I am talking about how the life of mankind is badly affected by ignoring the planet. Just as we aspire for best in the world for ourselves the planet too craves for nurturing it. But our greed and selfishness has ruined the planet. We have exploited the mineral wealth beyond reasonable limits.

It is time that we realise that the fanciful ideas we have about life, economy, and the world cannot get us sustainable life or economy. We need to show greater maturity in our level of thinking and do something in a more matured manner and this maturity needs to come not just from the common man but from the Government's central and states, the industry which keeps exploiting mother more than anyone else and all those who are involved in destroying it.

For the second consecutive year, the Earth Day falls amidst sorrow and hope arising from the Corona pandemic and this reminds one of the first Earth Day in 1970. That was the time when the Earth was facing pesticide disaster. Climate change and overuse of natural resources promise to turn in to super wicked of all problems and further disrupt the health systems. The Covid-19 has forced the otherwise divided world to work together to fight the pandemic so far and this offers the hope that if all countries work together on such important issues the climate and other related crisis can be effectively tackled.

This year's Earth Day lands upon a shaken world: As mankind seeks a return to a form of normalcy, simply going back to business-as-usual is not an option. The pandemic has reminded us of the fragility of the world, our societies and economies, and the need to protect ourselves from disasters including climate change and ecosystem destruction.

The first and foremost thing we should do is to forget that only April 22 is Earth Day. Efforts should be made to see that we don't destroy Mother Earth, day in day out. We should first be made to understand that we are part of the earth and behave responsibly. Just as we show great interest in decorating our house and protecting it from fire, theft and other such hazards, we need to protect the planet from senseless exploitation. In fact the political leaders and political executive needs to be sensitised more about the need to protect the planet.

Steps like massive afforestation activity should be taken up. This does not mean that fancy names are given to such programmes and leaders use it for photo option. Systematic planning and planting of different kinds of trees which have medicinal value should be planted so that we can have better air quality. Similarly, global clean up should be taken up jointly by all countries and as much waste as possible should be removed.

Mother Earth is clearly urging a call to action. Let's remind more than ever on this International Mother Earth Day that we need a shift to a more sustainable economy that works for both people and the planet".

Mystics say it is audacious that we can even think we can allot a day for the Earth! Both day and night happen only because the earth revolves. Our very body is an extract from this planet. For human beings who have forgotten that they have just temporarily come out of the womb of this earth and one day will be sucked back into this earth, this day is a reminder that you are a part of this earth. If humanity has to live for a long time, you have to think and act like the earth and be the earth because that is what you are.

To quote from the message of Sadhguru, "If the planet is in danger, we are in danger. If planet is healthy, we will be healthy."