The generous Mother Earth is an endless reservoir of resources, she provides us with all we need.
The air we breathe, the food we eat, the dress we wear, the home we live in, the car we drive and all the many other instruments of pleasure we own or rent are gifts from her.
It would be wrong to presume they originated in a factory located in the suburbs of our city.
While heavy machine industries play a role in the manufacturing chain, the primary manufacturer is the resourceful Mother Earth herself, often referred to as the "Maha Akshaya Patra" or the reservoir of resources.
If we fail to take a little pause in our consumption methods, if we do not give her time to replenish, we will eventually be depleted of all we have.
She would not continue to be as resourceful without our cooperation.
Many of us consume more than what's necessary; more water than needed, more electricity than needed, more paper than needed, more fuel supplies than needed, more food than needed, more pleasure than required, more of everything.
We need to make a sincere effort to outgrow this habit of excess.
The more the better is an unwise approach to living!!
The conventional economists argue that increased consumption benefits the world economy by creating employment and prosperity
What about the prosperity and well-being of Mother Earth? The day we isolate human well-being from Earth’s well-being, we have self-initiated a downward spiral.
“I can afford and it’s okay to consume more. My consumption doesn’t hurt my fellow humans, in fact, it helps them make a living”. Such attitudes are detrimental to the well-being of Mother Earth and all its inhabitants, yourself included.
If the Earth is hurt, its impact is equally felt by all; the rich, the poor, the famous and the infamous.
Of late I’ve been seeing lots of videos circulating on social media talking of Earth’s retaliation to the abuse caused by humans- “Earth is very upset & angry and therefore let loose corona on Humans”. And of course, there is always the other opposing view- “The earth is a very tolerant being, it wouldn’t do anything to hurt humans”. We seem more focused on Earth’s emotions instead of looking at our own actions.
Why swing to either extremes!
One cannot speak with certainty as to which of those views holds true, what we do know is that all actions have consequences. It Would be wiser to reflect on your own action and its constructive or destructive impact.
Just as abusing your body leads to your body failing, abusing the Earth through insensitive actions challenges its ability to support its inhabitants—not because it's angry or upset with humans, but perhaps due to insufficient resources.
Let’s not idolize Earth as yet another angry judgmental god and live in fear of her wrath. Try not falling into that trap again - the age-old habitual fear of being judged and feeling ashamed. Guilt-driven actions, no matter how noble they appear are never constructive. We are intelligent beings capable of holistic perception. With a little bit of introspection, we can easily understand the consequences of our actions and be inspired to perform inclusive action that supports all life.
How do I measure my consumption🤔
Not too much, not too little but we need to stick to the midground.
What is the right midground is an important question to ask!
I would say it’s time to be a little more frugal than trying to identify the right middle. Allow the earth to replenish itself before we can up our consumption to appropriate measures!!!
While consumption is necessary for survival, let's strive to be more diligent in our consumption methods.
There are hundren things we can do to slow down our obsession with consumerism.
Practice sustainability at home.
Be a one Earth citizen!!!