Pundit Varistha Persad, SWAHA International
Our natural environment is always under surveillance for the purpose of recording and predicting the possibilities of unnatural events, and for sustaining and preserving human life. Ironically, the same focus is not a priority in maintaining the stability of the human mind and, consequently, the inevitability of “unnatural” effects destabilizes us not only on an individual level but also on a societal level. There is data available which classifies countries and societies using labels like “most violent” and “most peaceful”, and this data is collated based not only on economic factors and governance but also on the religious and cultural influences on generations of that society.
It is no secret that poverty creates the perfect storm for an increase in crime but it is not a hard and fast rule that applies to all societies. There are populations, like the people of India, who experience and have experienced generations of poverty but who remain, comparably speaking, one of the most respected societies on the world stage for their peaceful approach to life and living. The reasons for this are the cultural, philosophical and religious influences that condition the human being to remain resilient, positive and connected to their natural environment.
Time immemorial asserts the unbreakable and incorruptible unity between man and nature. However, as time passes, this natural bond is threatened by a growing disconnection from the land. In an age of growing ecological and environmental awareness, human beings are being faced with the absolute choice of whether to continue the mass pollution and degradation of nature or seek more stringent and sustainable measures to ensure peace on earth, peace in the home and peace of mind.
Unfortunately, human interactions with nature remain steeped in unwavering anthropocentric perpetuations, that is, man remains superior to nature and thus disassociates from any logical reasoning that would put nature at the forefront and human interests on the back burner. Yet, the environment itself, regardless of whether humans accept this view or not, remains a key influence in the success and upward mobility of mankind. Nature versus nurture debates include such issues; issues that involve the influence of corrupted environmental conditions and increasing negativities.
Today, our concrete jungles make us prisoners in jail cells and our work cubicles nurture growing mental disorders. Our feet barely touch the cool morning’s dew; our eyes rarely glimpse the first rays of sunlight on the horizon; our lungs rarely get that morning breeze of highly oxygenated air that the trees release overnight; instead, our bodies are shielded from the elements, from nature and from that force that grounds and neutralizes our bio-magnetic energies. The Hindu scriptures relay the importance of the environment yet we seldom appreciate the cultural and religious activities that enforce continuous connections with nature. Our landscape and natural environment is a gift that many take for granted. Our life on Earth is short, and we have the resources to use but future generations may either praise or condemn us for what we leave as our legacy. The responsibility is ours and we must awake from this stupor.
