People are strange.. To a certain level, most of us are by nature, not very confrontational. That is not a bad trait in the least. Except that sometimes a lazy attitude towards certain issues have very serious long term implications.
We all believe in different perceptions of the same absolute truth.. That we perceive it differently only highlights our human weakness. That we refuse to acknowledge another person's perception of what we believe in highlights our human ego.
Issues like pollution and corruption are common knowledge. Well essentially know what the outcome of our wayward polluting ways is going to be. We've all watched that documentary starring Al Gore. Yet, none of us wishes to take a definitive stand.
We know that the burning fossil fuels are the rate we currently are will lead to the earth being submerged one day. Does the fact that we're not moving towards implementing a solution bring to light our inability at a personal level or the fact that we simply believe we're not going to be around to face the ultimate consequences? I've used the term "implementing a solution" only because solutions to fossil fuels pre-exist. Organizations like Big Oil prevent them from ever reaching a wider audience and its easy to see why.
We taught (*READ: brainwashed) through various sources of media right from the time we can speak to use oil instead of seeking pollution free alternatives. Don't believe me?
What practical sense does it make to own a gas guzzler in a crowded city like Mumbai?
Males are taught to associate power with manliness. Hence the apparent popularity of vehicles like the Hummer.. Why haven't concepts like solar and electric powered cars gained popularity? Why has Mumbai seen the release of the NANO before the release of the minicat by TATA? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compressed_air_car) Simply because we as consumers refused to make wiser choices.
For the sake of the world, its time to shift from wanting to be "manly men" with bigger and more powerful polluting machines to being men with bigger and more powerful NON POLLUTING machines.
Showing posts with label pollution. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pollution. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
The Age of Illness
As a developing civilization we are bound to come across obstacles in our progress. In our modern life we like to think these obstacles are external factors like religion, politics and economics. A little insightful thinking however will tell you that we are the biggest obstacle in our own progress. We’ve created an environment that is not conducive to our own well being. With each passing day we invent more gadgets which will in the near foreseeable future, rob us of our well being.
About a hundred years ago, an illness was usually the effect of a strain of bacteria or virus that had evolved into something our bodies disagreed with. The beginning of the 20th century saw diseases like the Spanish flu epidemic of 1918, Diphtheria which had about 10% mortality rate and Small pox which was estimated to have killed about 300 million people worldwide. Today however not only do we have to worry about new-age diseases like AIDS and SARS but also global warming and pollution which are only the after effects of our negligence. Scientists have estimated that the lungs of a city dweller have a much higher risk of developing late-stage cancer than those living in rural areas. Wasn’t that already known? I mean take for example the most populated city in the world right now: Mumbai. It is estimated that 2800 premature deaths can be traced back to air pollution alone.
Let us take a look at our technology now. Most of us have jobs that require us to sit in front of our screens while out fingers perform short repetitive actions that have more long term implications than people know about. Excessive use of a keyboard causes Repetitive strain injury (RSI) and Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) while using your mobile phone or a new generation PDA devices like the Blackberry causes Blackberry Thumb which all take weeks and sometimes months to recover from. We’ve now more addicted to music then ever before, so we’ve gone about inventing devices like the Ipod which insures “music on the run”. We’re immersed in either entertainment or work the entire day and nearly all of our activities involve the use of potentially dangerous devices. We now work longer days and 8 to 9 hour sleep durations seem like a myth to most people. As a result of our reliance on these inventions, we never really do rest until we’re tired or asleep. Hold on, now we’ve got something called “Sleep Tapes”. Yes, tapes you listen to while your body is supposedly resting. There’s a reason we shut our eyes while we’re asleep, it’s called mental rest!
And as we watch the next generation being raised by the television and the X-box, we look at our present generation mentally burn out by the time they’re 30. With stress and high pressure becoming a part of everyone’s day to day life, the term mid life crisis is now outdated. Welcome quarter life crisis.
About a hundred years ago, an illness was usually the effect of a strain of bacteria or virus that had evolved into something our bodies disagreed with. The beginning of the 20th century saw diseases like the Spanish flu epidemic of 1918, Diphtheria which had about 10% mortality rate and Small pox which was estimated to have killed about 300 million people worldwide. Today however not only do we have to worry about new-age diseases like AIDS and SARS but also global warming and pollution which are only the after effects of our negligence. Scientists have estimated that the lungs of a city dweller have a much higher risk of developing late-stage cancer than those living in rural areas. Wasn’t that already known? I mean take for example the most populated city in the world right now: Mumbai. It is estimated that 2800 premature deaths can be traced back to air pollution alone.
Let us take a look at our technology now. Most of us have jobs that require us to sit in front of our screens while out fingers perform short repetitive actions that have more long term implications than people know about. Excessive use of a keyboard causes Repetitive strain injury (RSI) and Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) while using your mobile phone or a new generation PDA devices like the Blackberry causes Blackberry Thumb which all take weeks and sometimes months to recover from. We’ve now more addicted to music then ever before, so we’ve gone about inventing devices like the Ipod which insures “music on the run”. We’re immersed in either entertainment or work the entire day and nearly all of our activities involve the use of potentially dangerous devices. We now work longer days and 8 to 9 hour sleep durations seem like a myth to most people. As a result of our reliance on these inventions, we never really do rest until we’re tired or asleep. Hold on, now we’ve got something called “Sleep Tapes”. Yes, tapes you listen to while your body is supposedly resting. There’s a reason we shut our eyes while we’re asleep, it’s called mental rest!
And as we watch the next generation being raised by the television and the X-box, we look at our present generation mentally burn out by the time they’re 30. With stress and high pressure becoming a part of everyone’s day to day life, the term mid life crisis is now outdated. Welcome quarter life crisis.
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