The great leveller

The incessant rainfall and flooding in many parts of India reminded us of an important lesson: nature, like time, is a great leveller. All over the media, there were scary scenes of many old trees getting uprooted in the cities and people leaving their homes on rescue boats. Most of the roads were flooded, and the majority of the people were left without power. In one stroke, nature dealt a blow that evened out not only certain geological edges but also a lot of human irregularities.

Historically, humankind has been ravaged by natural disasters, and every single one of them has somehow influenced the way our society has turned out. That goes for the recent heavy rainfall as well as the worldwide natural disasters that shook the Earth tens of thousands of years ago. But what can we learn from natural disasters? One thing that humans should understand clearly is that, for sheer power, nature has no rival. Within a few minutes, any one of nature’s elements can erase all traces of life, property, and habitation on any scale. We cannot overlook the fact that these natural disasters have their origin in human activities. How? It’s simple! We humans have been slaughtering the elements of nature like the golden-egg-laying goose. For long, nature has been bearing the ruthless onslaught by greedy humans on its vital resources. It is this overexploitation that has resulted in grave ecological imbalances, which have brought the world to the brink of catastrophe. For years, scientists and environmental activists have been warning us about the unpredictable disasters that our callous activities could bring, but despite their warnings, the truth seems to elude human reasoning. We still continue to overindulge in materialistic pleasures, continue to make bigger cars, dams, and buildings, dig deeper into the earth and ocean for resources, release more and more toxins into the air, water, and soil, and explode deadlier bombs under the earth and ocean. Instead of taking serious note of our wrong actions and corrupt attitudes, we have been trying to explain away calamities as aberrations that can be tackled by some technology or smart calculations. Isn’t it pathetic?

If humans do not stop meddling with nature, one day all its elements may react together with greater force, making the predictions of doomsday a reality. Then it will be impossible even to provide relief and rehabilitation. We should never forget the fact that the outer world is a reflection of our inner world. In reality, the epicentre of natural calamities lies in the human mind. It is mental pollution that leads to environmental pollution. It’s still not too late; even now, there is time to change our course towards more sustainable, nature-friendly practices. It only requires a change in our mindset, from that of acquisition and consumption to one of sharing and caring. Remember! The recent events of heavy rainfall may well be nature’s warning bells for us. If we continue living the way we have done so far, we may very well bring bigger disasters upon ourselves, and of the kind that will change the face of the earth.

(The writer is a spiritual educator and popular columnist for publications across India, USA, UK, Australia, South Africa, Canada & Mauritius. 9500+ Published Columns have been written by Him.)