A step at a time, leads to giant strides, says G. Venkatesh, as he urges everyone to make even a single lifestyle change and stick to it, for the benefit of Mother Earth, our only home. He suggests many options on the cusp of year 2016.
ANew Year Resolutions. Are they, by and large, mere talk which will never be walked consistently for 365 (or 366) days of the year? No harm however in proposing some, readers may wish to pick from and add on to those they may already have decided upon. He and she, here and there…small drops will end up making a big lake, if not an ocean. And a noticeably large lake is often the small step which begins a long journey (to quote Mao Tse Tung).
Resolutions 2016
How about trying to consciously reduce your water consumption daily. It is not as daunting as it seems after all. For instance, is it very difficult to remember not to throw the little extra drinking water remaining in your glass down the drain (which I have seen many Indians do), but rather pour it into potted plants you may have in your balcony or garden, or simply add it to the soil and replenish the ground water beneath? Be aware. A little bit of paranoia in the beginning is okay. Water-saving habits would become second nature, eventually.
How about feeding birds (a handful of rice or wheat; and a bowl of cold water) daily. You could add on to this good deed, by feeding one or two stray dogs everyday as well. Remember that we are their tenants on Mother Earth!
How about making it a point to walk at least 15 kilometres every week. Seems long, but then small steps do add up. Try resisting the urge to get your car out of your garage or to crank your two-wheeler, when you know you could actually walk it down to get the needful tasks done. You may own a vehicle, but it does not necessarily mean that you need to use it everytime. Riding two-wheelers and driving cars may have become a norm, but you can reverse it. Be a trendsetter. Your health will improve; and you will also contribute your mite to climate change concerns that are worrying people all around.
How about donating a little money every month (even Rs 100-200 would do), to some genuine charitable cause – could be environmental upkeep or education of poor children, for instance.
How about waking up every morning and spending 5 minutes praying for peace and harmony on the surface of the earth. You could appeal to the Supreme Power you believe in – God, Allah, Waheguru, Lord Ram or simply something unknown and unseen which you believe rules over all of us. Science and technology after all, have their limitations.
How about being fully aware of what you need and what you want; and try to fulfill the needs and minimise the wants? Try to be resource-light, as much as possible, whenever possible.
Use both sides of every sheet of paper you use at home, school, college or office. Having done that, ensure that you deposit the used paper at your local raddiwalaa, ensuring thereby that it will reach a paper mill and be recycled. Well-used, responsibly-recycled, and also some money gained, to boot! This money could be channeled to a charitable cause.
How about enabling the spread of knowledge by gifting a good book on science to a school kid in your neighbourhood every three months.
How about consciously reducing your consumption of meat gradually. Health and environment will both benefit.
How about gradually giving up your smoking habit (in case you are a smoker)….not just for your health which will improve, but you will not have to feel responsible for being the cause of passive-smoking-related disorders you trigger in family members, friends and even total strangers. Money not directed to the cigarette manufacturers could very well be channeled into buying a book!
Too many, too soon? Enough to put you off? Well, take your pick. Even one of these will do. By the end of the year, that would have become a part of you, a defining feature of your personality. Then take another one for 2017, a third one for 2018 and so on….ensuring that what has become second nature at the end of every year, remains so. The cumulative good effect on the individual, family, society, town, state, country and the world eventually, will be discernible at the end of the decade! It is easy actually to clearly decipher the socio-economic-environmental benefits of a clutch of these resolutions. However, let these not languish on paper. You should be courageous enough to judge yourself on your success in resolving and following suit. Quite like the first few deliveries faced by even the best of batsmen, anything new can be challenging indeed. You get set eventually, and build on the foundation you set for yourself. The team benefits. Here, it is Team Homo Sapien, and the playground is Mother Earth!
[column size=”1/5″]
[/column]
[column size=”4/5″]
G. Venkatesh
The writer is Senior Lecturer, Department of Engineering and Chemical Sciences, Faculty of Health, Science and Technology, Karlstad University, Sweden. He is also a freelance writer for several magazines around the world.
[/column]
