Pollution, like any creative idea, originates in the minds of men. It is nourished and shaped in the mind. Thereafter, it gets expressed in the world outside. The famous portrait of ‘Mona Lisa’ was first conceived in the mind of Leonardo da Vinci before being expressed on canvas. Similarly, the atom bombs that devastated Nagasaki and Hiroshima, were first exploded in the minds of men long before they razed the unsuspecting towns of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, wiping out millions of people. The effect of these atomic explosions continues to haunt the memory of mankind. Hence, the only lasting way to transform the world is to transform the minds of men. To make the world free of pollution it is necessary to make the mind free of pollution.
The mind is a continuous flow of thoughts and emotions. Over the long span of human existence on earth, the human mind has gathered countless impressions and a great variety of experiences. In fact, the mind of humanity as a whole is interconnected. The subtle impressions of all human experiences are stored in the human psyche. The experience of one person or a group of people has a bearing on the rest of humanity. Therefore, even if a small group of people understand this and transform their minds for the better, the world will become a better place to live. The future of humanity lies not in selfishness but in harmonious and selfless living. The whole world has to be seen as one family. Individual welfare lies in world welfare. As Mahatma Gandhi said, “Be the change you want to see in the world”.
Certain basic impurities of the mind must be addressed in order to bring about a transformation of the mind. These are:
1. The evil effects of violence are well known. Millions have been maimed or killed in the various wars and riots around the world. Innumerable homes have been ruined by domestic violence. Human violence has not spared animals, birds, trees and other life forms. Polluting the natural resources like the air, water and earth is violence against nature. Violence is an expression of anger, frustration, a sense of injustice, hatred, shame, guilt and so on. These express either as violence directed against oneself in the form of suicide, or as brutal acts against others.
The antidote for violence is love, reverence, peace and forgiveness. These virtues must be cultivated right from childhood. Apart from love for other human beings one needs to cultivate reverence for all life forms and also towards nature. Ancient Indian Vedic culture teaches us to treat nature as a mother and revere her. Hence the worship of mountains, rivers, trees, and so on should become part of our life style.
2. Dishonesty is another major evil in our mind. Human beings are essentially social beings. Human society is interdependent not only with other humans but also with nature. There is need for trust and openness in our dealings with all. Dishonest relationships, whether at the level of society, family, business dealings or between nations have caused innumerable disputes and breakups. Dishonesty towards nature has made us exploit her rather then use her in a sustainable way.
Truthfulness to our own higher convictions is necessary. We need to be truthful to the various vows we take in life: to be a good son, a good husband, a good wife and so on in order to make our family life happy. We have also taken some unwritten vows to be loyal to our Nation, to our Constitution and to Nature. As politicians, lawyers or doctors we have taken a different set of vows. If each one of us strives to be truthful to these vows, we will create a heaven on earth.
3. Covetousness is a strong desire to posses something which rightfully does not belong to us. Yet, covetousness seems to be the norm at all levels of human interaction. It has been the cause of so many crimes. Coveting the wealth, possessions, land, name, wife or husband of others has led to much litigation, a mindless waste of energy and resources. We have also been sinfully coveting the natural resources for our own selfish consumption.
We need to learn the lesson of sharing the resources of earth with all. Mother Earth belongs to all beings. Each one has a right to earn and enjoy these resources. This right must be respected. Only such an attitude can eradicate poverty from the world. Moreover, just as human beings have rights so, too, does nature have rights. The rivers have the right to flow gracefully and bless the world. By damming and polluting them we are looting the rivers of their freedom.
4. Over-Consumption is a major disease of the modern age. We are consuming more resources then our forefathers ever did and that too, with complete disregard of all ethics and sensible behaviour. As a result, we have created a grave situation, one that augurs ill for future generations. We are consuming more electricity, food, petrol and wood than ever before. As a result, more and more forests are being destroyed, rivers are drying up and the atmosphere is being polluted.
We need to learn to live simpler lives. As the famous saying goes ‘simple living and high thinking’. Food, clothing and shelter will be available for all if each one of us consumes only as much as is absolutely necessary. Cities can reduce their extravagance and share their wealth with towns and villages. Our minds should be educated to experience the satisfaction, which arises from deep within our own personality rather then to rely on outside sense stimuli. If humans become happier by quietening their minds they will become less dependant on the outer world.
5. Greed causes humans to hoard more than what is needed to live a fulfilling life. Greed for more and more wealth, property, land and so on is evident all around us. When one accumulates wealth it is, invariably, at the cost of other beings. Our society functions like our own body. The essence of all that we eat gets distributed to all parts of the body as per their needs. If some part of the body starts storing more then what is required, it results in disease. Similarly, if the society accumulates more then what is required it causes imbalance and disharmony.
“There is enough in the world to fulfill everyone’s need but to satisfy even a single person’s greed will not be possible,” said Mahatma Gandhi. This is an important lesson to learn. There is need to share what we have with other beings. This will reduce the pressure we have put on natural resources such as rivers, forests and so on. Nature will also bless us with abundance when we treat her well.
Thus is it vital for us to introspect and see whether our lifestyle, patterns of thinking and set of values are conducive to a nobler and more equitable way of life. It is imperative for each one of us to take responsibility for the environment, for we are all equally the children of Mother Earth. We can both nurture her and sustain her bounty for our children and their descendants or we can hasten her decay and be instrumental in the destruction of God's great gift to us - life. In the current climate there is no third option!