Our luxury comes at a price. Unless we hurt Mother Earth, we don’t get our easy appliances and gadgets. Don’t we already know that innumerable industries across the globe ceaselessly emit millions after millions of gallons of obnoxious gases every single minute? We get our swanky cars, computers, washing machines, mobile, rockets, trains — anything you name, only after irreparably polluting the atmosphere. If we look at it deeply, we are all to blame for this environmental mess.
No wonder, all these years, we all have danced to the tune of the capitalists. In every couple of years, we change our mobiles, in every 4-5 years we upgrade our micro-ovens and washing machines! What will be the consequence of this style of living? It is a very ominous question that confronts modern civilization. We have been taught how to get our day-to-day works done quickly with gadgets, but we have never been effectively informed that this all goes to “quicken” the climate tipping points. We followed the ads by Victoria Beckham, Chuck Norris, Jennifer Lopez, John Abraham, Shah Rukh Khan and we changed our vehicles, refrigerators, TVs as we change our clothes. This is the most disastrous trend catching on among the increasing number of consumers across the world. One may agree or not, the final impact of our blind infatuation with the irresponsible celebrities and their endorsed products has fallen on Mother NATURE! Moreover, we have become a slave to so much of the consumer goods, they have virtually “consumed” our human prudence. We have not only polluted our atmosphere, but we have weakened our minds and self-control. What will happen if our youths don’t get to check facebook/social media updates for 2 days. They get restless, they get insanely disturbed — some to the point of suicide. Our mental calmness is just hung in the balance.
Here is my question. Have the members of COP26 ever thought of “changing the MINDSET” of each individual person? Moreover, what about the environment of our mind-scape which is so much degenerated now? This all has happened so quickly due to our increasing dependence on the machines and robotic tools. Have member leaders left the Glasgow meeting with a vow to impose a complete restriction on selling and buying consumer goods? Have they pledged to punish those capitalists and celebrities who have “misled” each one of us for money? The answer is a resounding “NO”.
Yes, I totally stand with what the Secretary-General of the United Nation – António Guterres said at the COP26 conference. In desperation he burst saying – “We face a tough choice, either we stop it or it stops us and it is time to say enough — enough of brutalizing biodiversity, enough of killing ourselves with carbon, enough of treating nature like a toilet, we are digging our own graves.” These words from the Secretary-General came directly from the heart. Very frankly speaking unless we turn our backs on the theory of “consumerism” the Earth will never HEAL. We must rid of luxury of any kind. COP26 should sit for serious introspection before it is too late. We must move from TOYOTA to BICYCLE at the earliest possible. There is no other way. What is the point of our “royal lifestyles” now if our children will suffer from the HEAT of HELL on Earth?
Disclaimer: The article is written by Salil Gewali- an author and political analyst based in Arunachal Pradesh. He has written a popular book Great Minds On India The opinions expressed in this write-up are of the authors. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the The Youth or any of its members.
