We know the whole world is staying indoors. We hope you are all safe in your home.
Read this piece to trigger your thought process for the betterment of Earth. As Iron Man is busy with his team of Avengers locked safely inside his garage, we can’t rely on superhumans any more and we need to become super-duper human beings. Everyone is welcome to comment on how they feel, measures governments should take on environmental policies, and anything you are waiting to convey right out of your heart about this planet.
A lengthy piece just to make you kill time in a productive way.
After the plague and World War II, the most infamous time for Earth is 2020. The beginning of a new decade has made millions to shut their doors. One single monster, an unknown satan; the master of pessimism; the evil of evils has been on a furious hunt since the start of the year. It is the most intelligent antagonist the world has ever seen. It even has a crown and is rising to the throne of the pandemic kingdom.
Stay Home and Safe! A Vigilante Vampire is on Blood Hunt
One terrifying visitor – Corona. The ultrasmart and untimely virus!
It is said to have been born in Wuhan, the cultural capital of China. We will not go into conspiracy theories of who did what for someone’s benefit and who controls WHO. A global centralized body for sports, medicine, archaeology, and scientific inventions won’t cover a larger radius unless staunch benefits are reaped from fewer corners of the world. It is apparent power, and money dictates the world, and so let us give it to gossips, as this whole human history is a string of robust gossip theories. Coming back to the mighty virus, this crowned devil seems to be a globetrotter and has eventually acquired greed over superpowers. Italy was not even in the game and was unaware such things will happen to the great Roman Empire.
While countries like Japan, Spain, Germany, the UK, the USA, and South Countries got severely hit by the novel coronavirus, Italians were having their coffee as usual. Their ignorance and impromptu actions caused many deaths before the USA became the worst affected nation. We wish to see the land of opportunities back with more opportunities for the world. While recognizing the scary happenings of Italy, America, Spain, China many countries declared national lockdown. As the second-largest populated country in the world, India is under lockdown 4.0 with many restrictions until May 31st. Two months straight! No gatherings, no parties, no night outs, no cinema, and all-day confined to the four walls of the home. Unless it is an emergency, no one ventures out, and this means human zoos are on activation for the past 45 days.
Corona is a cruel disease and has no direct vaccination so far, super deadly, yes, we accept that.
But, is it just Corona the world is fighting? What are we missing?
The simple question is – Are we homo sapiens living in total harmony with Nature?
The simple answer is – No. We see those people who find solace in Nature as superhumans or mystics. But in a country like India, it was not that case some 500 years back where spirituality and living in alignment with the cosmic geometry was an everyday happening; a natural habit. Slowly, even India due to its western influence has started to live in disharmony with nature. We need to see a whole lot of things happening around us and if we are not watchful, then some other better creatures deserve this planet.
A Brief Analysis of the World’s Approach to Wildlife
Let us see different aspects that are affecting human beings, wildlife, and the whole planet, including climate change and why slowing things on Earth will lead to a better life.
Let’s start from bats, the most dangerous carrier of the world’s most deadly diseases like the Nipah Virus and Ebola. Pangolins are blamed for Corona as if they asked us to chew them during dinner. Bats have the ability to transmit diseases more than any other creature due to their close proximity and maybe omission of sunlight too. For example, pig farms that are located in areas where bats are densely populated are more prone to carrying zoonotic viruses and only support systems are available so far. According to Healthcare in America Doctor Melvin Sanicas, bats have a unique antiviral immune system within them and so aren’t affected much. But human beings don’t carry the DNA and RNA of a bat to enjoy them in a mid-morning soup. It is always better to stay away from animal habitats. Poaching and Cattle grazing is not only causing the life of animals. Every inch of forest land unconsciously taken, takes humanity several steps toward pandemics.
Wildlife Trade – Time to Analyse our Eating Habits
The importance of habitats for individual species needs special attention and a movie released in the 2011 – Contagion is ahead of time. Not a recommended movie to watch during this crisis yet an effective film that conveys about a deadly virus that spreads from bats through pig farms. To combat habitat threats to animals, illegal wildlife trade should be cut off. Rare and endangered populations of animals have become rare and endangered due to heavy human intervention. From chopping off shark fins for soup and throwing them back to the ocean only to die, to killing tusked elephants for a mere showcase piece, we are evolving as a generation disrespecting other creatures on the planet. As if only human life is precious and other lives have no purpose. This needs to change. The IUCN Red List keeps increasing and that means we are creating a big gap in the ecological chain. And, we are paying the price now confined in homes using “break the chain” hashtags. The dangerous delicacy of consuming shark fin soups started widely in China when the economic boom happened between 1985 and 2001. Still, the Shark Trade Act is pending for approval in the USA. Sharks play a major role in conserving the ecological balance of the sea and are not ready to shed off their fins to feed people who have a powerful economic status. It is always the environment that comes before the economy and if that is not the case, welcome to human zoos! We need to eat for a healthy body and not for the pleasure of eating. If this mindset prevails, we can consume less meat and more plant-based protein that suits our modern lifestyle.
The Curse of the Lungs of the World to Our Lungs
Do we really care about other lives on Earth? Should our global leaders discuss more on environmental health more than conversations about oil trade, nuclear weapons, and power? It is okay to chop off a few trees for livelihood but it is unimaginably destructive to burn a whole forest. Under Jair Bolsonaro, in an attempt to increase agricultural activity, mass deforestation activities were carried out in the form of a forest fire. This resulted in burning 7,200 square miles of Amazon forests which equals the size of New Jersey. In the last 50 years, close to 20 percent of the Amazon Rainforests have been lost to the forest fire. Only a substantial amount of international pressure can stop this insane activity to cease in the coming months of 2020. Likewise, the Australian Bushfire last year till January 2020 has resulted in the death of more than 500 million animals. Koalas, the native of Australia are nearing extinction due to the uncontrollable fire of the Kangaroo Land.
Incidents like these were happening in the past also and ever since 2010, Amazon forest fire of 2019 is the worst and it is like Amazon is again losing its lushness according to Ane Alencar, the director of science at the Amazon Environmental Research Institute (IPAM). Now, it is like revenge of Amazon causing millions to suffer from the novel Corona which attacks the lungs. Nature can become incredibly cruel and its army is sometimes invisible and invincible.
A simple way to check how things are going in the world – If your child wishes to read about Amazon Rainforest and simply types “Amazon” on your tab, the world knows what Google will show. Ah! You too forgot about the rainforest for a bit and thought of buying something right? That’s our problem. We need to change so that everybody stops selling something all the time. We need to slow down a bit and the world will adjust to start living with utmost consciousness. Covid-19 is teaching the whole world without boards and markers. Fear is a useful master at times!
Mindless Production of Automobiles
About one-third of air pollution in the USA is due to Vehicles. The style and comfort icons not only cause trouble to the environment while functioning, but their remnants such as plastics, car battery acids also create turmoil wherever they are dumped. Although reduce, reuse, recycle chants reverberate everywhere on our planet, the mindless production of automobiles increases permanent carbon footprints. To fuel these luxury wheels and for other pieces of machinery, oil is the most wanted war-invoking commodity in trade. Oil spills are a common happening in the Oceans and that has the potential to harm marine life for decades. Poor air quality, road infrastructure harming everything en route, and inability to recycle make Air Pollution a global issue. Due to Tuberculosis, 1.5 million deaths have been reported in 2018, one of the top 10 deadly diseases on Earth according to WHO.
It is not that every invention or creation is bad for the world. Those who innovate for the betterment of the world with negligible damage to the surroundings should be supported. For example, the CEO of TESLA, Elon Musk suggests consuming less meat, following a plant-based diet, going solar, leaving less carbon footprint, and using public transport as a starter. His innovative electric cars if further efficiently designed with reusable batteries can cut pollution on a huge level. We hope more sustainable electric cars will hit the market and take over the petrol and diesel car market. We need to go green and more NGOs should come forward without powerful backup batteries. Those mindful NGOs shouldn’t be influenced by the leaders of the world. Not every invention is good for the world too.
The Connection Between Corona and Cancer
The top 12 countries with the most cancer patients are geographically confined to Europe, North America, and Oceania (World Cancer Research Fund International) Excluding Oceania, the most corona affected countries belong to North America and Europe. What does this mean? It means those countries need to reorganize their eating habits and should improve their immune system. How can you say a country is powerful solely based on economy and nuclear weapons? Healthy people maketh a healthy and powerful nation. More than 40% of the American population have chronic ailments, meaning a compromised immune system. This needs to change and people are into medication. Instead of medication, they can try meditation and learn yoga from countries like India.
Bowel cancer is associated with higher consumption of red meat and the study by WebMD proves a 10% inclusion of junk food to your diet can increase the chance of cancer by 12%. Not trying to belittle the eating habits of the USA but they create the trend. From coca-cola to denim jeans to burgers, the world follows the path of the United States of America. Most of their diet consists of processed foods and meat. They must learn to eat and drink less and switch over to Yogic foods and lifestyles that are fresh and virile respectively. “Puffers” and “Floaters” Contribute to more Death in the USA with Belarus being the most alcohol drinking nation in the world. One in five Americans die due to Cigarette smoking and that is 4,80,000 deaths per year. While close to 90,000 people die due to Alcohol consumption every single year. Corona will cause more harm to the lungs of smokers and immunity compromised drinkers. So, the world need not worry about Corona and focus more on improving their immune system through a good lifestyle. Puff and drink once in a blue moon!
Road Accidents – Slow is the New Cool!
Speeding vehicles are demons in disguise and why the hell the whole world is overspeeding? This is a serious issue as beautiful and clean highways have killed more people than many viruses in the world. Drinking is often connected to road deaths next to speeding and lack of attention. The lack of attention, responsibility, and accountability are other reasons. There is a separate track to race and there is a separate track to just go from Point A from Point B. Weekends, night out, consumption of alcohol, overspeeding, inexperience, and underage are the most vital reasons for teen deaths.
We are every day getting closer to our grave and so the world should learn to live gracefully. Speeding drivers must know beautiful families can go orphan if enough focus ain’t put. There is constant stress to drink on weekends. To get high? No! You get weak and in the pursuit of finding new substances outside, many underestimate the substance inside – Life! To be alive is precious and every day above the ground is a good day as Al Pacino said. Again, each and every country in the world should set speed limits for civilians. Unless for healthcare emergencies and military actions, why should someone drive faster than 40-45 miles per hour? Let us all slow down things and learn to appreciate creative hoardings in traffic and without any rage, drive with complete accountability. Commute can also be pleasant and the need to produce speeding vehicles will come down in the years. This takes us to Climate Change and the world’s approach to it. How aware are we about the melting icebergs of Antarctica and Greta Thunberg’s campaigns?
Climate Change – How could we smile when Planet Earth sobs?
Our world had been through many phases, from ending dinosaurs in the Cretaceous Era to devouring many islands. That’s natural. But human-caused climate change is becoming a serious emergency. Before the industrial revolution (1750) atmospheric co2 emission was under 282 ppm and in 2019 it was 411 ppm. Our planet is one degree hotter than what it was in the industrial period. From summers and winters getting warmer, from Indonesia losing 25 cm of its capital city to the ocean every year, and wildlife population dropping by 60 percent in the 50 years according to the Living Planet report, to increase of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that cause Dengue due to global warming, Climate change should be given the top priority in all global meetings of leaders. Teen activists like Greta Thunberg are trying too hard to wake up dormant leaders and Hollywood celebrities like Leonardo De Caprio fill their social media pages not with their upcoming movie posters but about rivers drying, polar bears thinning in Antarctica, and lakhs of forest lands being burnt for cattle grazing. Valuing the life of every creature on Earth should be taught from childhood in schools before teaching addition and subtraction. More family time should be encouraged and people should work to live and not the other way around.
Overtourism is another potential harm to a particular place as if India only has Taj Mahal, Jordan only has Petra, Peru only has Machu Picchu, and France only has Paris and Eiffel Tower, the world of travelers and tourists must discover new possibilities and shouldn’t tour just for a selfie before a popular place. There are many wonders on Earth and so don’t go to a country just to see a particular place since everybody is talking or tweeting about it. Take the road less traveled.
Let not open up Mars before we find a vaccine for SARS. We should take care of the earth before knowing the depths of other planets. Governments should stop invoking regional and religious riots in their policies and campaigns. Let us all learn to adjust to create some space for all life on this planet.
Corona – The last wake up call to humanity! Moderation is the key.
Let us all take these 10 oaths to
- Think about hunger before devouring the burger
- Allow children to just be them without mining for gold
- Learn to appreciate all life on earth.
- Drink and eat mindfully. Consume less.
- Observe our breathing pattern.
- Check our postures and stretch often.
- Spend at least an hour in the open.
- Make digital detox family time every single day
- Do physical activity at least for 15 mins daily.
- Experience the beauty of Sunrise and Sunset daily.
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