April 21 is the vernal equinox day. On this day, the sun is exactly above the equator, and the day and the night are almost of the same length. For the Western world where the winter means the empire of the snow, this day brings very happy tidings because it means the spring would now bloom in full form.
No wonder, the day is also known as the Earth Day. Such an annual reminder is absolutely essential in our environmentally challenged times. The thoughtless way we, the human beings, are splurging the resources granted to us gratis by nature, such reminders should actually be daily!
In our reckless hunt of all sorts of often meaningless pleasures that take us away from nature, we vitiate the earth and its resources. In the process, we forget, moreover, that we share the terra firma with the flora and the fauna which are getting extinct due to our excesses.
Indeed I shudder when I read any news that this or that region, whichever might be the country, has got gold (or, for that matter, any mineral) reserves, for instance. That would mean the mad gold rush. The resultant mining can ruin the region every possible way, but none would care, right?
We have managed to pollute the air, water, why, even the space! I am very doubtful about the space odyssey dream for the common man. No, not because it would be horribly expensive but also because the human colonial mentality would degrade the poor solar system. Just try to remember how India or Latin America was before the conquistadores came!
In brief, our only hope is our earth. On this Earth Day, let us once again pledge to retain it pristine for future, for generations to come!
Pratima@ The earth does provide for everybody's needs. Let us not exploit it for excessive greeds of all types of human(?) beings, as Gandhiji would say.
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