You and the Environment

It is amazing how different we human beings can be, and yet how similar we really are. Across time and location, we establish different customs, cultures, standards, lifestyles. We formulate various theories, philosophies and religions. We agree and disagree about forms of government and nature of businesses. Yet some things remain the same. We are all people trying to "get by in our environment".


Our environment in this context may be human or natural, and to a large extent a combination of both. To "get by" we continuously learn, study and adjust to human behavior as well as to natural phenomena. While standards for success and failure in these endeavors may vary, one fact becomes obvious: we all depend on our environment for sustenance and subsistence; thus we must protect and preserve it.

In general terms, we can summarize our environment as a network of the relationship with fellow men on the one hand, and the relationship with nature on the other hand. Man-to-man, we have principles, rules, guidelines, laws, bye-laws, legislation, constitutions etc stemming from the realization that there are consequences for our actions, hence the need to regulate it. However man-to-nature... the story is not quite the same.

In our world today, success to a large extent means wealth. Along these lines, wealth means resources; resources means goods or services; these in one way or the other translate to harnessing the earth's potentials. We have been about this for quite a while with ever increasing penchant for "acquiring MORE". We talk of mass production, increased productivity and profitability, expanding markets, globalization, cutting edge technology...but what are the consequences of some of these activities on the natural environment?

They are obvious (whether or not we all agree on the extent)! Where we refuse to see, the environmentalists can inundate us with information. Some say "oh please it's all exaggerated", others call for global summits, some have dedicated their lives to the "green" cause, others say "what's it to me". The reality is that just as with human relationships, even with nature, there are consequences for our actions. So, what are the rules, what are the guidelines, what are the laws?

The sciences and general observation help us to understand the flow of nature, such as the perpetual formation, growth, maturity, decay and decomposition leading back to fresh formation. The plants and animals, the air and the water bodies, even the rocks and land mass have their own patterns operating independently yet simultaneously. They result in an exotic array of beauty, wonder, and life sustaining resources from which man takes his pick.

From this standpoint, all living things are (at least should be) symbiotic neighbors. Just as nature provides for man, so should human activity enhance and promote nature's patterns. Apparently, we have not fully incorporated and integrated these into every facet of our developmental activities, therefore our activities result in the toxic pollution of the air, land, and water bodies. Furthermore, there is exploitation, depletion and outright destruction of the earth's valuable resources etc

Contrary to what skeptics think, this is in no way a call to halt human development, since development is an intrinsic necessity for all human beings on the physical, mental, emotional, and even spiritual levels. Rather, it is a call to re-examine and develop better ways of achieving our objectives such that we further ourselves while preserving the natural environment in accordance with its own rules. We cannot continue to impose blindly even to our own detriment.

Already, many individuals and groups are working in this direction with admirable and sometimes astonishing results. Depending on the economic implication and political will, Environmental Treaties and Agreements are upheld, circumvented or out rightly violated. In this sense, this call appears to be a moral challenge in which every human being is involved and responsible both collectively and individually. The question therefore goes out to everyone "how concerned are you?" "How objective can you be?" "What efforts and changes are you willing to make at your own level?" "Do you require coercion, or do you choose freely to adjust your activity simply for the sake of preserving the natural balance?"

The drama of human development is enacted on the stage of our environment which is simultaneously impacted: positively or negatively. We cannot ignore all the current negative signals. We can all take little steps that make the bigger ones easier. We must protect and preserve our environment.