Chacko Anthony SJ
Our environment is our life line. Respect it, love it, and care for it. Environment is the natural world around us. In it humans, plants, animals and other entities exist. The entities in nature are not just for us humans only. Nature has identity of its own. It has its own relevance. That means nature is there not only for us humans. Its existence, its growth, its development are part of the integral whole of environment.
We human beings with all our intelligence cannot overpower nature and use it only for our own development, for our own needs. We often do research on animals, plants, other beings with the aim of finding out what is good for a better human existence. This is just selfish. For our benefit we cannot cut down trees, shave off forests, chase away honey bees by erecting digital towers, pollute waters, contaminate air or throw waste into public roads.
We humans need to check on our consumption pattern so that we do not overuse the benefits of nature and environment. Gandhiji has said: Nature (word) has enough for all, but not enough for the avarice of a few.
Yes, when we are avaricious, we will go to any extent to steal, plunder, devastate and destroy. Let us not pander to our own wants only. Need is different from want. When we are driven by want we destroy environment, harm nature and suffocate mother earth.
Let us be sensible. Let us learn to co-exist with nature and environment by not being overlords but by being co-travellers.