In the age of cell phones and tablets, our knowledge about the surroundings on our planet is as much the knowledge Indian youngsters have about the staple food in our country – daal and rice.
For example, what is the difference between the Maharastrian Varan, Gujarati Kadhi or Punjabi Dal Makhani and how do they affect our health and nutrition? The daal (in any liquid form) offers a covering that keeps the rice warm and ready for our digestive systems by not allowing the heat in rice to escape. Even more importantly, rice is better digested and assimilated when mixed with daal. These are simple things that affect our lives profoundly, but we seldom think about them!
Many of us do not know, or do not keep in mind, that the Earth’s atmosphere too has coverings and layers that support life on Earth. The 5 major layers are the troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere and exosphere. What exactly does disturbance in ecological balance mean? What do we know and not know about it?
Our knowledge of how our actions affect the planet are superficial to say the least. We still see tons of plastic in all the nature-rich, tourist places, even though we all know that plastic is harmful to the environment, especially when discarded on the surface or atmosphere of the planet. We still don’t seem to realise how grave and dangerous this problem has become. We know that rubbish from our homes and our industrial effluents should not be drained into the rivers. What will really happen if we do not stop is not known. Will we realize when, sooner or later, the same polluted water will affect the health of our children and all future generations?
Emissions from cars and trucks and industrial gases are all harmful to the earth’s atmosphere. We do not take this seriously enough. If the harm caused by these gases and the particulate matter would be taken seriously, why would people stay in bungalows built along the highways breathing these emissions day in and day out? This toxic smoke is harmful to our lungs, eyes, skin and adversely affects our immunity in the long run.
We should think about this swaddle of protection, this nourishing wrapping provided by the Almighty for life to flourish on Earth – for humans, animals and plants. We swaddle our babies with blankets, use mittens and booties to protect them from the cold and the wind. Similarly, God has wrapped our planet earth in a lovely biosphere. This protective ‘environment’ (environ – to surround, encircle, encompass) provides us with air and oxygen and also shields us from radiations of the solar system that could be harmful to us. This environment, this biosphere, works incessantly. Like a mother, to protect and nourish us, every single second of our lives.
If there are holes in the baby’s blanket the cold will affect the baby adversely. Similarly, when there are cracks and holes in our protective atmosphere, the harmful elements will disturb our health and comfort. Thus, it becomes an important duty of every individual to do his or her bit to protect and save our mother, and save ourselves too.
We must encourage and use the methods and sciences that have been designed with this environment and biosphere in mind. Ayurveda, for example, is a natural health science that encourages living in harmony and reverence with Nature. It comes from a system where Nature’s elements, like rivers and the wind were approached and personified as Vedic Gods. One of the reasons this was done was to educate the masses and develop a culture of life in tune with nature. If each one of us plays our part, by limiting unnecessary consumption, excess use of vehicles, encouraging car-pooling and public transport, taking care to switch of lights and save electricity, separating natural and artificial waste and managing our household and industrial waste, these small actions would go a long way to protect our immediate surroundings and our planet.
Loving our planet and environment like part of our family, planting more trees, taking care of the existing ones and living with an awareness and responsibility towards our mother earth will even help reduce natural calamities likes forest fires, earthquakes and flood, and bring back our Mother Earth’s diminishing protective and nourishing abilities. On 5th June, World Environment Day, let us all take a pledge to take utmost care of our planet and make a difference!
A very lovely contribution on the Swaddling of the Earth, perhaps not many realise the origin of ‘environ’ into environment. I for one, did not. Getting bio situations explained with the many wholistic connections is always offers the biggest punch to the mind and following on perhaps into ACTION. Thanks you