41.
Life With Animals
The Ultimate Survival Strategy
Every living being sustains life on the bounties offered by mother nature. The creator is the father and nature is the mother. Mother nature provides for all the necessities of all living beings and in this way every living being can live peacefully in this material world. The human beings, not satisfied with her generous gifts, are devouring the mother nature herself. Its like a child, not satisfied with the mother’s milk, want to devour the mother herself.
We, as a society, have come to living off the nature’s capital, being dissatisfied with its incomes. In economics, its called bad business. A business enterprise has to survive on its incomes and not on its capital. Capital depletion leads to bankruptcy. In human society, this is leading to our not only ecological but moral, social and economic bankruptcy as well.
At the dawn of the industrial age, we took this wrong turn. We started gorging upon resources that took nature millions of years to create and which were saved up by nature according to its own plan of functioning. Humanity has been squandering these assets at a quickening pace. In fact, we have treated many of these assets as if they had no value.
To check this suicidal drift, we need to seek the animals’ cooperation once again. Living with our animals is living in harmony with life, nature and the universe. This is the way the life has been for thousands of years or for as long as one can remember.
Living in harmony and cooperation with our animal friends and with our natural world is the ultimate economic security, ultimate survival strategy.
UN biodiversity chief, Ahmed Djoghlaf says nations risk economic collapse and loss of culture if they do not protect the natural world
He rightly feels that what we are seeing today is a total disaster as we lose biodiversity at an unprecedented rate. If current levels of destruction go on we will reach a tipping point very soon. The future of the planet now depends on remedial measures taken very soon.
Our callous approach to life and nature is threatening the fundamentals of life itself.
According to the UN Environment Programme, the Earth is in the midst of a mass extinction of life. Scientists estimate that 150-200 species of plant, insect, bird and mammal become extinct every 24 hours. This is nearly 1,000 times the “natural” or “background” rate. Around 15% of mammal species and 11% of bird species are classified as threatened with extinction. UN is urging the governments to invest in nature. If they do not, they will pay very heavily later. They will be out of business if they miss the green train.
Mounting losses of ecosystems, species and genetic biodiversity is now threatening all life. In immediate danger are the two billion
people who live in developing world and whose livelihood depends on their natural resources.
The loss of biodiversity is compounding poverty. By destroying our nature, we are increasing poverty and insecurity. Biodiversity is fundamental to social life, education and aesthetics. It’s a human right to live in a healthy environment. Climate change cannot be solved without action on biodiversity, and vice versa.
We, as a society, have come to living off the nature’s capital, being dissatisfied with its incomes. In economics, its called bad business. A business enterprise has to survive on its incomes and not on its capital. Capital depletion leads to bankruptcy. In human society, this is leading to our not only ecological but moral, social and economic bankruptcy as well.
At the dawn of the industrial age, we took this wrong turn. We started gorging upon resources that took nature millions of years to create and which were saved up by nature according to its own plan of functioning. Humanity has been squandering these assets at a quickening pace. In fact, we have treated many of these assets as if they had no value.
To check this suicidal drift, we need to seek the animals’ cooperation once again. Living with our animals is living in harmony with life, nature and the universe. This is the way the life has been for thousands of years or for as long as one can remember.
Living in harmony and cooperation with our animal friends and with our natural world is the ultimate economic security, ultimate survival strategy.
UN biodiversity chief, Ahmed Djoghlaf says nations risk economic collapse and loss of culture if they do not protect the natural world
He rightly feels that what we are seeing today is a total disaster as we lose biodiversity at an unprecedented rate. If current levels of destruction go on we will reach a tipping point very soon. The future of the planet now depends on remedial measures taken very soon.
Our callous approach to life and nature is threatening the fundamentals of life itself.
According to the UN Environment Programme, the Earth is in the midst of a mass extinction of life. Scientists estimate that 150-200 species of plant, insect, bird and mammal become extinct every 24 hours. This is nearly 1,000 times the “natural” or “background” rate. Around 15% of mammal species and 11% of bird species are classified as threatened with extinction. UN is urging the governments to invest in nature. If they do not, they will pay very heavily later. They will be out of business if they miss the green train.
Mounting losses of ecosystems, species and genetic biodiversity is now threatening all life. In immediate danger are the two billion
people who live in developing world and whose livelihood depends on their natural resources.
The loss of biodiversity is compounding poverty. By destroying our nature, we are increasing poverty and insecurity. Biodiversity is fundamental to social life, education and aesthetics. It’s a human right to live in a healthy environment. Climate change cannot be solved without action on biodiversity, and vice versa.
In Perth, in this city, around this city, since Europeans have come, we have removed forests, we've cut down trees, we've tilled the soil, we have changed the natural order of things, we have increased the amount of water from rain that flows through the soil. It's getting more and more salty. We are affecting our coastal wetlands, as we call them, the lagoons and the lakes and the marshes, so that they are becoming both more salty and more clogged with silt and soil and debris. Water birds can, in some areas, no longer live there. Fish are dying. A lot of migratory fish and crabs, for example, are no longer migrating to their traditional breeding grounds.
We're stuck with that... Whether we like it or not, we're stuck with our urban civilization. We're stuck with our Western way of doing things, unfortunately.
~Justin Murphy, Geographer (Conversation with Srila Prabhupada, May 14, 1975, Perth)
Because of no contact with the animal world, children are losing contact with nature as they move to a more virtual world. Children today have no clue about nature. Most children in developed countries do not see a live cow or a live horse or an apple tree. How can they protect nature if they do not know it?
Nature has her own way; she better understands her own affairs than we. We have one planet to live on and all our needs have to be satisfied with whatever is in here. We can not import a thing from other planets for our survival, no matter how much we advertise our dubious moon missions. Outcome of such missions is few worthless rocks and sheer wastage of taxpayers’ money.
This senseless exploitation of resources can not go on forever. This cradle to grave economics in which we turn every natural resource into a toxic waste is inherently self-destructive. In nature, there is no such thing as waste. So called waste generated by one living being is effectively utilized by another and so on until nothing is left over. This is called the cycle of life. But today our linear system of living which is immensely destructive has replaced this natural cyclical system.
This is where our animals come into picture. Living with animals and natural gifts of land is living on nature’s income.
An agriculture and animals based economy is the only model which will stand the test of time. Its just a question of few years before this colossal industrial complex comes down crashing. The cracks are already quite visible and it is up to us to open our eyes.
Nature has her own way; she better understands her own affairs than we. We have one planet to live on and all our needs have to be satisfied with whatever is in here. We can not import a thing from other planets for our survival, no matter how much we advertise our dubious moon missions. Outcome of such missions is few worthless rocks and sheer wastage of taxpayers’ money.
This senseless exploitation of resources can not go on forever. This cradle to grave economics in which we turn every natural resource into a toxic waste is inherently self-destructive. In nature, there is no such thing as waste. So called waste generated by one living being is effectively utilized by another and so on until nothing is left over. This is called the cycle of life. But today our linear system of living which is immensely destructive has replaced this natural cyclical system.
This is where our animals come into picture. Living with animals and natural gifts of land is living on nature’s income.
An agriculture and animals based economy is the only model which will stand the test of time. Its just a question of few years before this colossal industrial complex comes down crashing. The cracks are already quite visible and it is up to us to open our eyes.
