The world is gradually waking up to the threat of environmental degradation. Countries are discussing measures to reduce carbon gas emissions. Global warming, melting of glaciers, recurring incidents of tsunami and earthquakes are a serious reminder of the acute damage we have done to ourselves. We have polluted the air, water and soil and are condemned to artificial resources.
Much is being said and done by the policy-makers to spread awareness and offset the effects of pollution. But are these efforts enough? Our vedic seers knew that the time will come when mankind will suffer due to its own actions. So, they gave us the eternal Shanti Path. They prayed for shanti for the space, earth, environment and finally for the self. They knew that unless the environment was at peace, it was not possible for the self to be at peace.
Our thoughts are very potent and bear strong repercussions on the environment that we live in. The nuclear bomb was first a thought which later manifested into the physical. Everything that we see around us is nothing but the manifestation of our thoughts. Thus, the quality of our thoughts reflects in the environment around us. Thoughts, polluted with selfish motives, result in physical problems like premature greying, poor vision, respiratory problems, lung infection, cancer and several unknown diseases. So much for a thought, you would think!
The correlation between our thoughts and pollution may best be understood from the fact that the incredible scientific and technological progress made by us has failed to induce any change in the present situation. We continue to suffer from
incurable diseases, we are exposed to poisonous gases and harmful radiations and we have lost access to clean drinking water and fresh air. Science may claim to have found cure for cancer but our negligence and failure to think beyond self has seen hospitals’ radio-active waste found in local dumping grounds that stray animals feed on and children are regularly exposed to. Clearly, we have the means to fulfill our desires but not the right thought.
Scientific developments have offered modern solutions in the form of genetically modified seeds and chemical fertiliser laced crops for tackling problems like shortage of food and poor agricultural yield. We inject the cows with oxytocin to increase milk production and hope to bring about White Revolution throughout the country. Sadly, we fail to understand the damage such practices cause to our genetic code. No wonder….we don’t behave like humans anymore!
We are inducing pollution in our immediate environment which in all probability has the potential to come back to us. It has a ripple effect. We contaminate our bodies by taking in loads of toxins through cigarettes, cosmetics, food, alcohol and other drinks laden with synthetic chemicals and harmful substances.
– Freshest fruits and vegetables found in the market are full of insecticides and pesticides that cause dreadful health problems
– The milk we drink is laced with artificial hormones and adulterants which lead to hormonal disorders in the body
– Sugar, a basic household item is known to contain sulphur and is purified using animal’s bones
It does not stop here! Our taste ‘hungry’ buds yearn for spicy junk food from time to time, which has nothing but chemicals.
– Junk foods disturb the natural composition of the body causing permanent alterations at the cellular level
– An additive called MSG (Monosodium glutamate) also called Ajinomoto has been found to cause problems like headache, chest pain, nausea, heart palpitations and certain neurological disorders
– Another additive called Sodium Benzoate, which is generally used as a preservative in juices and canned foods, is a known carcinogen (cancer causing element)
We are addicted to the use of cosmetics in our daily lives. Men and women, across the world, crave to look beautiful and attractive. We regularly use face washes, moisturizers, body lotions and sun screens of different brands which have a detrimental effect on our health. Skin is the largest organ in our body and anything absorbed by the skin directly enters the bloodstream – making these products really dangerous!
So the next time you are stuck – whether in a personal problem or a huge calamity – don’t ask God what wrong have you done. Most of us lead a selfish; life instead of raising a voice against atrocities around us; we choose to become a party to all this pollution and destruction. The question you need to ask is, what are you doing for the creation which has been handed over to you in the form of pure and pristine nature except contaminating it with your polluted thoughts and actions?
It is important for us to realize that our actions hold the power to make or break our lives. We need to work both at macro and micro level to bring the change. We have to immediately stop discharging effluents into our rivers and oceans, cutting trees and releasing poisonous gases into the atmosphere and spraying pesticides in our fields. We have to say NO to adulterated food and beverages and switch to natural products.
At the personal level, let’s begin by correcting our THOUGHTS. Let’s practice a gradual shift in our attitudes – from I, Me and Myself – to thinking well of others. It is the cycle of karma.
A single thought has the potential to change the environment around you. The change in environment has the potential to change your lives too. What is the point in living in a house full of luxuries if you are going to step out into a heap of garbage full of radioactive waste? Think about it.
