WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2024
Elwyn Decruz
The chalk-down for a revised blueprint for our beautiful Blue Planet has begun. In spite of the disaster we have brought about, Mother Nature, and her unfailing trust, has left it once more for us to renew and restart her wondrous world; on the condition that we lay it out as she wants it.
This means we must dump all current plans perpetrated by our elected “leaders”, all deceptively motivated projects to maintain a greedy grip on the Treasury Till. The “noble” ideals promising a peaceful and prosperous life for the people are soon consigned to the dustbin of history, along with a piece of paper from which they recite when taking The Oath of Office at the Swearing-In Ceremony. Within weeks, a loud chorus of “swearing” is soon taken up by a disgruntled electorate that has been so blatantly betrayed and robbed of a better future. We can no longer stay mute witness to this continuous five-year cycle of ludicrous surrender of a higher quality of life and better a standard of living.
Way back in the evolutionary history of the planet, a huge meteor crashed into the Earth and created a cloud of dust that obscured the sun’s rays from more than half of lands below which resulted in the extinction of millions of species of life on the planet; plants and animals alike. Without the sun, nothing can exist on earth as we know it. This time the Dark Cloud, an ominous threat of a devastating disease and death, has overshadowed our physiological and psychological faculties to such a degree that we dare not look back to see how this has come about lest we turn into a pillar of salt. We have provoked Mother Nature to such an ignominious extent that she has meted out her most punitive dispensation upon the entire world, the possible extinction of almost all of Mankind. This is not designed to sound alarmist, but instead a most benevolent and challenging proposal has been offered to us, an opportunity to start a new life. This however, comes with a non-negotiable rider; it has to be the way Nature wants it.
All life-giving energy comes from the Sun. Nature then collaborates, offering her life-sustaining bounty to all creatures that have taken residence in her exclusive domain, Planet Earth.
Here’s the deal: In exchange for the intellectual prowess bestowed upon human kind, along with the power to reason, coupled with an insatiable curiosity to question anything and everything, plus the gift of unlimited tetra bytes of memory, bundled with a storehouse of emotions that we can call upon in every and any moment, Mankind has been awarded the Keys to the Kingdom, a Contract to manage and create a life of abundance, of peace and prosperity on Earth. We have been mandated to be the loving and masterful caretaker of all creatures, all plant and mineral life that abounds in this magical Creation which indeed is Paradise.
The question of why we exist and why this responsibility has been bestowed upon us, is left to each of us as individuals, to dive deep into our reservoir of inner wisdom and make the right logical conclusion. The answer, as pronounced by the ancient sages of yore, is the reason for which we have been given this priceless gift of existence. But before we begin to embark on our “spiritual” quest to find the“why”, we must first fulfil the Terms of our Contract with Nature as the exclusive Guardian of her Kingdom, for therein lies the answer to who we really are.
Up until now we have created a platform of self-aggrandisement and nurtured an egotistic character of greediness. It turned out to be our downfall. The catastrophe we brought upon ourselves is what we are now struggling to get out of. Reason: it has always been “and what about me?” The result of our self-centred narrow vision.
Our power of infinite creativity, our ingenuity, our ability to achieve the impossible, will guide us to the Promised Land. This may sound like some high-flying hallucination, not so, we are already imbued with all the faculties that we need to reach that “impossible star”. The Bucket List of tasks are laid out before us, cut and dried, waiting for us to roll up our sleeves and set our muscle and minds, our hearts and hands, to the most enticing endeavor mankind can ever hope to undertake. If we get it right, and we must, all past sins will be forgiven. The reward will be a way of life, an existence, beyond anyone’s imagination. Are we ready?
The Land: An Agri-Forest project of soil renewal is our first priority. From our earliest days, we are farmers by default. Trees hold water, refurbish rivers, provide oxygen and shade for plant and animal growth. The land provides food for our survival.
Education:“Knowledge is power”. Man’s biggest enemy is ignorance. It is an absolute necessity that we know and understand the workings of Nature, that without the Sun, nothing can live on this earth. We must understand how the stars and the ever-evolving universe propel our destiny, and the effect of the phases of the moon on human reproductive cycles. We need to understand the essential benefits of a clean environment, we must conserve and develop clean, renewable resources, especially water. We need to discover the sacredness and Power of Water: The earth, our bodies, are 72 percent water.
Health: As Caretaker, it is our supreme duty to ensure that our co-inhabitants: all living creatures, the animals, birds, fish, insects, reptiles, are provided a life-enhancing environment necessary for total wellbeing. They are NOT for us to exploit, or kill, or consume, or to render extinct.
Regardless of how the present hardships and horrors hinder our plans for a Utopian future, we must carry on with great courage. Our destiny, our existential life is all about bliss, Eternal Bliss.
(The author is now a permanent resident of Goa after many years of living in Mumbai, New York and London)
