Desiree Fernandes
Since time immemorial, nature has never failed to have an impression in the very being of mankind. It has been the muse of poets, artists, writers et al. Louis Armstrong, through his lyrics, forges a bond between nature and humanity. For he says “I see trees of green, red roses too, I see them bloom for me and you and I think to myself ,what a wonderful world……” Nature does manifest itself in all its magnificent glory when humans are receptive to its calling. Be it in the whispering of the leaves, twittering of birds, the gusty monsoon winds, the pitter patter of the rain, the roaring oceans. It does create a profound effect on our senses and in turn pacifies the petrified temple of our inner souls. No wonder people splurge on outdoor vacations wherein they long to experience a different setting unperturbed by human interference.
Just as we possess a unique identity through our demographic demarcations, our natural surroundings form an integral part of our daily lives. It gives us a sense of belongingness and thus in turn influences our culture and cuisine. We thrive on natural resources like sunlight ,water, air, trees which enable us to fulfill our basic requirements. People cash in on seasonal fruits and other local produce which are biotic and abiotic in nature. But when we seemingly begin to start possessing these for selfish motives we fail to make this world a better place to live in. The natural habitats of animals are dispersed as real estates boomerang in our tiny state. This in turn disturbs the ecological balance which is why we have instances of wild beasts straying into villages. As people move to cities, it creates scarcity of resources which urges us on to make judicious consumption of these resources. For how long can we exploit these resources to create artificial and plush lifestyles?
The evolutionary process makes it tedious to adapt to our relevant status and this in turn impedes the pace at which our resources take time to replenish. We are on the constant look out for alternatives. As the enthusiasm and fervour of commemorating World Environment Day settles down on us we tend to shift our focus into other spheres. It’s impossible for everyone to express their concern for the environment by accomplishing gigantic tasks like going on cleanliness drives or sensitising citizens on burning issues that plague us. It’s firstly important to change our mental approach. It’s next to impossible to have garbage bins set up at all public junctures. Even if they do it won’t make much of a difference.So instead of littering our surroundings we can carry our waste back home. Cleanliness is next to Godliness. We must learn to revere our surroundings as we would do the same to our personal spaces. When we defile our surroundings we are only resonating our malfunctioning morbid mentality. Let nature be the sanctity of pristine beauty. By being conscientious and attentive to our surroundings we can also learn to become accountable for our deeds.
