SAVE THE EARTH – a contribution

Dearest Jayashree has started this event and I feel so happy and honored to contribute. Its not just the topic of the event but for the lady hosting it, that I would write about !! 🙂

Jayashree is a very warm hearted lady and I say that without having met her or even seen her because my intuition says so and I know I am right!! 🙂  While she cooks for her family she gives the world little glimpses of the love and thought and care that goes into the food through her food blog that is so devoid of  any kind of pomp and show. That she is a sweet, simple soul is evident through her blog…her writing, her pictures and her recipes!! My best wishes to Jayashree for all that she ever wants to achieve in life.

So here goes my post on this thoughtful event hosted by her!

SAVE THE EARTH

Frankly and honestly, all the knowledge of the world combined together will not bring the WISDOM that  is needed to actually save Mother Earth.  I don’t think the call is for people to save the earth. The call is for people to save their own lives and the lives of their future generations. Let us not forget that if MOTHER EARTH has the supreme power of creation, she also has the power to destroy, if she can be overly abundant in her love and generosity, she can be as ruthless and destructive when not respected and paid heed to (just like our own selves, isnt it??!)

This is what I think is the most basic of what we need to do…

KNOW and VALUE the gift of life

RESPECT the idea of co-existence (not until we still feel jamadarnis are untouchables and separate the utensils for our maids !!)

UTILIZE energy/resources in the right manner, for the right purpose

BE CLEAN — ( I would say lets clean our mind of all that debris before even attempting to clean our surroundings!!)

BE GENEROUS — give, give and give some more — donate, share, recycle without feeling like we did a favor to someone, remember we are doing a huge favor to ourselves!!

SHOW we CARE — the question is DO WE??

 Literally, we need do nothing except for living a simple life.  There were no kind of automated, remote controlled or timed services available in our great grandmother’s age, but even then, they accomplished more than what we can manage to do in a day today and they were more content in life! You can ask any relative who is above the age of 80 today and they will love to give you an account of how simple life used to be.  Let us ask ourselves, and only to our individual selves — what all can I do to bring the same simplicity, same quality of life in my world? And remember each gesture, thought, effort matters and however little we may be able to do, it still helps a LOT.

I am myself guilty of wasting resources and misusing energy many times and therefore I do not want to make false promises because I know however simple I try to be, I will still have to use gas, electricity, water, paper, plastic in more than one ways – but I do promise I will respect my own needs as well as others and abide by the laws of the nature! I will not HOARD and I will not WASTE (I am guilty, very guilty of this particular habit, but working on it I have improved much although there is still room for improvement!!).

If I see a naked child on the road, instead of shooing him away, I will buy him a soft cloth to cover his bare body (and I wont care what he does with it after I turn away!) If I see a hungry child standing outside the food joint I just had my lunch at, I will again not shoo the child away, I will buy him lunch and some clean water to drink (and yes, I will make sure I watch him have the food, but try not to think about where from he will get his dinner if I can in no way help him any further!!) These are people who have no access to the basic resources I conveniently waste at times…isnt it my responsibility to do my bit at times when I get a chance?

I don’t care what other people are doing in their world, OR how funny/foolish/impractical I may appear to them …but this is what I will stand by as long as I live — a simple, astute, generous life devoid of the interference of media/people, gossip, and unnecessary wants!!

“What I want I will strive to get and when given, I will respect and make proper use of it, but will not want OR keep more than what I need!”

 If that can be the motto of everyone…I think nothing else need be done!!

 ” The trees, the leaves, the flowers

   talk to me…

   they say please leave us alone

   under the care of the Almighty we were born,

   we smile through the sun’s glistening ray,

   and play with the naughty wind all day,

   We dance in the rain and shiver in the snow

   but not for once we let our happiness go…

   Please leave us alone and leave us bare

   all we need is a little love, a little care,

  we blossom and we bloom

  with colors so splendid, we wash away all gloom 

  we make the air fragrant and fresh

  and brighten your day with  liveliness!

  We grow tall and stand proud

  with branches laden with fruit and flowers spread out!

  We never complain of the mighty sun

  or the stormy winds

  what we fear are the thoughts so mean

  that go behind ideas so scary

  they rob our mother,

  and make her oh! so weary…

****************************

  One day not too far from now

  when oceans take over land

  and we all are gone,

  shall you repent and pine

  your own inventions then will be called crime!

  Being thoughtless and careless doesnt pay in the long run

  but there is still time to learn, a new world has just begun

  Let us live in joy, harmony and peace

  for it is wise to know, love is all there will be, love is all there IS…!”

P.S. I just received an email for ‘Spare the Air Alert’ from our boss– what a coincidence! Now, all the talking I did, I have to implement as well!! 🙂

Got to mention I really appreciate my kids school volunteering for ‘Walk To School’ days once a week, they provide little favors to kids who walk to school on those days and ask parents who live far, to park the car at some distance from the school and come walking! 🙂