Hi,

Let me tell you something that you already know. Earth comprises of living and non living things. Non living things are the elements of nature (water, land, air, space and fire). Everyone knows what a living thing is but no one actually knows the number of species and sub species that inhabit the world. Even infinity is not an apt adjective to quantify the number of living things that span across the world. And interestingly, many are yet to be discovered!

The interaction between the living and non living things is known as ecosystem. Anything and everything in this world is inter-dependent, inter-related and inter-linked to every other thing for survival. Every living thing survives by obtaining inputs from the world directly or indirectly which satisfies its requirement and knowingly/unknowingly gives in return to those from which it obtained and/or to others directly or indirectly.

Let me give you a example which is easy to comprehend. Example – interaction between trees and elements of nature. The trees are dependent on water, land, air, space and fire for their survival. In return, it releases oxygen (air) into the atmosphere (space) which is required by other living things for respiration and helps in keeping the atmospheric levels in a stable position by absorbing carbon dioxide. It enriches the soil beneath the Earth (land) and makes more it more fertile. Trees are one of the vital sources of rainfall (water) and the importance of rainfalls and this process is self explanatory. Next comes the interaction between trees and other living things. The droppings, half eaten seeds and fruits, etc of animals supports the growth of the trees. The benefits of trees to other living things is invaluable to the survival of all the living things. Most important contribution by trees to other living things is the creation of habitat which is crucial to their survival. The habitat in turn creates a foodchain and facilitates ecological balance.

The most interesting point from this example is that the trees give more in return to the world than it actually takes from it. From this, we can arrive at the fact that all the species (except human beings) give more in return to the world than they consume from it. The surprising fact is that both the giving and taking by the species are equally and crucially important for earth’s survival. The example which I explained is the most elementary way of explanation.

All the interactions on this planet are very very and very very complex due to the reason that they are inter-dependent, inter-related and inter-linked. Any disturbances caused to this network affects the ecosystem and creates an ecological imbalance which affects the earth’s survival.

We, human beings have extracted the maximum resources from the planet which is far beyond than what we require for our survival/development. This humongous extraction is expected to increase in the future due to the rapid continual increase in the population. This act of human beings disturbs the ecosystem and causes ecological imbalance. This leads to a break in the network of chains/links.

The only solution to fix this breakage in chains/links is the “principle of life” ie. give more to the world than what you take from it. The more I take (monetary pleasures & illusionistic pleasure), the less I have (inner peace, happiness, peaceful state of mind and self contentment). But, human beings instead of giving in return, again extract the resources to the maximum extent possible. This causes an irreparable damage to the ecosystem and linkages among the living and non living things.

Let me give you a very elementary example. Example – thousands of rhinos and elephants are killed for the needs which do not enhance the survival/development of humans but for illusionistic/illogical/ wrongly guided convictions and reasons. Due to this, rhinos and elephants are endangered and even some of their sub species are on the verge of extinction. Due to this, all the species and sub species dependent on rhinos and elephants are in a dangerous situation. Also, all the species and sub species on whom rhinos and elephants are dependent are affected which makes them in a vulnerable state posing problems.

Again and again, I would like to stress on the point that all of us (both living and non living things) inter-dependent, inter-related and inter-linked. When these linkages are are irreparably damaged, the earth is on its way to self destruction caused by human beings. Sadly, the destruction has already begun and we (humans) are the only cause for this destruction.

You may question me that even natural disasters (like earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, comet, asteroid or meteor impact which caused the extinction of almost all the species including dinosaurs, etc) affect the survival of species. But, the truth is that the natural disasters are a process of replenishment and not a catastrophic process.

There’s an old saying that “Even too much of a good thing becomes a poison.” We, humans have turned ourselves into a poison/virus. But, even a single ray of light can bring hope to a room filled with darkness. The venom from a snake which can kill numerous lives can also be used to create anti-venom which can save thousands of lives.

We, humans are the only solution to this problem caused only by us. We must understand a very important and crucial point that our actions not only affects other species and environment but it also poses a very big problem to us due to the fact that we cannot survive as a solitary species. There are plenty of solutions which can be pursued by us but there is lack of awareness of this problem. To address this issue, the governments, rulers or whatever be the type of governance used in countries or regions around the globe; they should implement the solutions in a feasible manner.

I will contribute to this issue to the best of my ability. I am going to start this by developing a project on solar energy. This idea struck my mind because solar energy is definitely a inexhaustible source of energy due to the obvious reason of increasing temperatures. I am optimistic that we can turn around this situation and leave the earth in a better condition for the future generations.

Thank You