The cost of Development

ARTICLE BY ASHISH AGARWAL

Let’s start with a short story. Once, when god was about to create the universe and its elements, he first called microbes. He asked them to occupy the place whichever they found suitable. He also blessed them with the power to be invisible. Microbes since then are happy living in air, water, land and even in living bodies.

Second came protozoa. God told them to occupy water. They said “Your Highness, we are so small and visible, any other organism might kill us”. God gave them the power to infect living beings and cause disease. This decision delighted them.

Third came coelenterates. God asked them to inhabit only water bodies but gave them power to eat smaller organisms and poison in their tentacles for their safeguard. They also went happily. Fourth came platy helminthes, nematodes. God asked them to dwell in water and land. Now came arthropods. They requested god that if he send them to water or land, then others will eat them up. God cogitated his brain and came up with some idea. He said, “You have the right to dwell in air, land as well as water; wherever you wish. You have the power to trouble other organisms too”. They also left happily.

Now it was the turn for human. God asked him, “What do you want from me?” He said, “God, please give me power to rule over land, air and water. Give me the wings to fly and fins to swim. Make me a ruler”. To this, god replied, “My dearest creation, I won’t give you fins and wings neither flight nor kingdom but, I’ll bless you with only one thing that I haven’t given to anyone else, and that is ‘Intelligence’. You might do anything you wish, just use the thing I have given you”. Since then, human is using intelligence to fly (using aero planes), walk and swim (using boats, submarines, diving).

To dream is a never ending phenomenon, especially when it comes to humans. Human is the only creature on the earth that god has given power to dream, think and then convert those thoughts into processes. This is the underlying reason for the chop-chop development of human race.

Earlier, human inhabited jungles, made muddy huts and roofs of bushes, ate raw flesh, fruits and vegetables. He then conceptualized the use of fire to cook food and the process continued forever.

The moment human conceived of the portable music, he developed ipods, when he conceived of speeding cars; he came up with Ferrari, gestated of sky-high architecture; made tallest possible apartments and towers. From metalled highways to missiles, from laptops to wireless; whatever human brain cerebrates, the next moment it is with us. Since the time human has got intelligence, he has been using it to evolve the system of living.

Ages have passed. Now is the age of computers and cutting edge technology. Human imaginations have landed the degree from where we can not afford to look back at the older times. Life is hastening and so we have to keep pace. Today, man is rushing to acquire maximum resources that he can possibly do, no matter what cost he has to bear. Facilitated with a sound infrastructure, best working facilities, happening business places and luxurious residences, man has got all what he dreamt of but still there is one thing missing, that is ‘Ataraxis’ or the peace of mind. Man is striving to make earth a heaven to live but he has to pay some taxes and that could possibly be the reason the previous statement.

Population is facing upsurge therefore, development has to take place in order to provide living to the people. Yesterday it was millions, now it is billions and tomorrow it will be much more. Engineering, research and technology is trying to race with the needs of the hour and solve the human problems to the best level. But, man has forgotten one thing, ‘there is a limit to everything’. After that, Newton’s third law follows, ‘To every action, there is equal and opposite reaction’ and then things revert back.

Now we have cut across those limits. Human intentions have no doubt attained infrastructure for him but has deprived many other creatures of livelihood that god had sent to live on land with us. Mad race for development has made man blind; he cannot visualize the destruction as a cost for development. He has forgotten that god asked us to live in ‘harmony’, even if one pillar of the biosphere is disturbed, the whole system will collapse.

Just a few to mention, the climatic cycle is now shifting as a result of global warming, glaciers have started melting and they are expected to melt more rapidly in coming years, land slides occur due to loss of plant biodiversity, rainfall uncertainty is a common phenomenon due to destruction of forests, temperature which is now breaking mercury limits, water scarcity in many areas, carcinogens in atmosphere, population explosion, pollution blast and many more, the list is extremely long. Could you spare a minute? Just look at the effects and try to find out the factors that caused them. The answer is just one that is our race for development. Nature has its own ways to maintain the balance. If we cannot understand the things clearly, nature has many methods to make us understand.

Destruction cycle is running now and we are the ones who have initiated it. Now, let’s not blame nature and destiny. But, it is not our fault because what we are doing is also a natural process. Every organism finds out the best possible way to live, so are us doing. If our population is shooting up, then we are responsible to provide them with the resources, no matter who is harmed in the process. We need not be blamed as we have done what was required.

BUT WE ALL HAVE TO GET READY TO BEAR THE CONSEQUENCES AS THE NATURE IS READY TO RETALIATE.

The cost of development has to be accepted and we are doing that.