Man has progressed greatly in science and technology and has amassed great wealth and assets. Gigantic industries manufacturing chemicals, pesticides, medicines, steel, textiles, paper, sugar, food have grown; agricultural production on mass scale, growth of housing and other amenities; medical and hospital industry, transport and others have grown in scales unimaginable fifty years ago. Along with growth and development has come pollution – air pollution, water pollution and land pollution. Pollution is human contribution to nature. One of the principal causes of pollution is human activity.
Mans behaviour and greed has brought about pollution everywhere- in air, land and water. All things that grow and exist on earth are also affected by the widespread pollution. The panch tatwas or the five elements of which this world is made up of are severely contaminated due to the greed and desires of man.
Man is a mixture of gunas – the satwic, the rajas and the tamas – the pure, the active and the lazy/impure. He rises to great heights when he uses the divine intelligence given to him in inventions and discoveries which have spearheaded the progress of mankind. The need for activity, progress, accumulation of wealth, fame and name drive him to taking steps which cause overuse of resources, misuse of nature, and exploitation of labour and increased profit for self. His personal greed and lack of foresight has caused the sorry state of affairs in the world today.
Man has mastered new ways of technology and growth but happiness eludes him. Today man has far more money and facilities than his ancestors. But he is not happy or in peace. Why so? This is because man today lacks virtue. His conduct and character are not good. When a virtuous person earns wealth, he does not deplete nature. He earns and he shares his wealth. This brings all-round progress and happiness in society. Without virtues, life ceases to have any meaning. Good conduct and character is the real basis of life and progress. The modern man is lacking in character, principles, ethics and virtue. So he is restless and suffers from unhappiness and lack of inner peace.
Mans behaviour and greed has brought about pollution everywhere- in air, land and water. All things that grow and exist on earth are also affected by the widespread pollution. The panch tatwas or the five elements of which this world is made up of are severely contaminated due to the greed and desires of man.
Our body performs actions which are governed by our mind and thoughts. If our thoughts are good, the actions will be good. If we have the understanding that we should seek what we need and not for our greed, this mass level of pollution of water, air and land would not be there. If we had compassion for wild life, this large scale slaughter of birds and animals would have not taken place and many species would have not gone extinct. Man’s greed for wealth has brought out destruction of the rainforests and other forests and the wildlife which depended on them. The increased use of chemicals and colorants has brought about dumping of the toxic waste in land and water. Nuclear wastes are dumped into ground and in sea. If man behaves properly, would the elements have been polluted to this extent? All the pollution, resource mismanagement and weather changes we face today are due to the immoral feelings and improper behaviour and conduct of man. The lack of divine qualities of love, compassion and understanding are directly responsible for the widespread problem of pollution today.
There is urgent need for change in inner purity in the world today. Only when the minds and hearts of people are pure, their actions will reflect it. Let us keep good company, have noble thoughts and do the Mantra Japa. The imbalance and pollution in the five elements affects us and reflects within. We can reverse it by the Divine Vibrations of the Sacred Name. When we chant it, its vibrations will change the balance of the five elements within us and this will reflect in the outer world. The vibrations of the Sacred Name will purify us along with the atmosphere and others around us. With inner purity and understanding, we can take measures to counter the pollution in the world and prevent future exploitation and imbalance. Scientific progress and new technologies will continue but at least we will be able to take preventive measures in reducing or stopping the pollution. Then we can leave a clean earth as legacy for our children and grandchildren.
