OUR WAR WITH NATURE

OUR WAR WITH NATURE


Genghis Khan was a nomad but probably he was among the first who successfully converted warfare into an organized way of life (to invent the powerful war machine). This fact is rather important in deciding the origins of war in human history. Of course, we can always close our eyes to history and instead speculate about the roots of war in some possible animal instinct -–as if like the tiger, we still had to kill to live, or, like the bird we had to defend our nesting territory. But what we are talking about is organized war, which I think is a highly planned and co-operative form of theft. This form of theft began around 10,000 years ago when some human tribes had civilized enough to harvest wheat and accumulate a surplus. It was then that the nomads came from the desert to rob them of what they they could not provide for themselves. Genghis Khan and his Mongol dynasty brought that thieving way of life into our own millennium. They attempted to establish the supremacy of the robber who produces nothing and who, in his reckless way comes to take from the peasant (who has nowhere to flee) the surplus that agriculture accumulates.

This line of thought is true even today. The nomads of today are the globe-trotting, jet-set urbanites who are so reckless and arrogant that they not only take away the surplus that agriculture accumulates, but are hell-bent on plundering the very Nature (air, wind, water) that sustains all. So great has the arrogance and ego of this species grown that in its effort to prove its supremacy over all creation, it is waging a war against the creator – Nature herself! The 20th century has seen the maximum consumption and depletion of Nature’s resources which it freely allows man to use. The nomads of yesteryears were barbaric; but even in their ignorance, they knew that they had to respect Nature and if they had to survive and thrive, they had to live in harmony with her. They domesticated and reared animals, killing only as many as required to provide for their food, shelter and clothing. Then after a passage of time they moved to greener pastures so as to let Nature regain her vitality; revisiting the place after such time when Nature there was healthy enough to provide for them again. But what do we say of the well-educated, civilized, settlers of today, who with all their knowledge about Nature and her moods do not spare a moment’s thought for Mother Nature. All that they think about is taking from Nature – never returning anything back to her!

But they forget that Nature does not fight a well-planned war. She uses guerilla tactics! We learn in History that the might of the great Mughals was made to bite dust by a small time Maratha chieftain – Shivaji! It is a long drawn war – the guerilla attacks taking heavy toll of man and means. How ironical that the means used by man to plunder and fight Nature are provided by Nature herself. Then why can man not understand that if he wants to live his life in comfort he should treat Nature as a friend and ally and give her some breathing space? If man with Nature signs this peace pact she will be ever ready to provide for him always. But maybe man is doomed never to learn his lesson from History!

During his ascent, man has become an architect of his environment (this is a myth, which he loves to believe in), but he has to understand that he does not command forces as powerful as those of Nature. His powerful weapons are like the boomerang that is not only harming Nature but will annihilate him completely in the process. His methods so far had been selective and probing – an intellectual approach in which action depends on understanding Nature. But of late he has become over daring. His probing has reached limits of endurance. Like the doctor who, when unable to diagnose the ailment start experimenting with the patient to cure him - –so also Man, in his half knowledge has started experimenting dangerously with Nature in a bid to control her and change her according to his whims and fancies! Beware man, before it is too late! Always remember that it is you who are a part of Nature and not the other way round.


DR. POONAM MEHRA