“Be the change you want to see”
Today I feel nauseated, irritated, asphyxiated, irked and many synonymous feelings all at once. My neighbor, whose daughter by the way suffers from asthma is busy bursting crackers with no apparent reason, I suppose.
I think he is celebrating losing his mind. If that is the case I will certainly let him burst some more (ah, bliss)
Coming from a densely populated city, New Delhi, I am well aware of resource shortages, which includes fresh air to breathe. Pollution has upgraded to levels beyond imagination and is causing health and breathing problems among people.
The air quality in Delhi, the capital of India, according to a WHO survey of 1600 world cities, is the worst of any major city in the world.
When you read the above statement you realize that once you step out of your house you inhale your death, bringing it closer than it was yesterday. The ever increasing love for crackers isn’t helping and people continue to harm the air quality with acts that justify nothing but their wealth.
We, the so called responsible citizens lash out about these events on social media and in newspapers, with one aim: maybe they will hear us and stop this madness, but do we do something to change the damage already done?
I know most of you would answer no, but combine it with a beautifully decorated excuse. Well, it’s time we stop giving excuses and act, act to save what is left and start the process of rebuilding what is gone.
One example that I want to cite about bringing the change here is that of my father’s. My father loves to nurture plants in his backyard, but every now and then when a plant has over grown its period in a pot, he takes it to the nearby garden and plants it in the ground. His eyes have one dream in them when he sees his little sapling planted in the ground; to see it become a full-fledged tree. With this routine activity, he slightly changed his schedule to include all his family members. On each of our birthdays, we select a little sampling from our backyard and plant it in the garden. The plant is now the responsibility of the person who has planted it and has to make sure it survives.
This way we make our contribution to make the air cleaner and enrich it with oxygen. I know, you must be thinking what does one tree in one whole year contribute, but think of it this way, If each of us plant a tree on our birthdays we can make a forest within a year and get free from this horrendous situation.
Everyone should take a step towards the change they want to see in the society, be it a technological change or an environmental one. With determination and willingness to bring a change, no task is too difficult and no situation is impossible to change. I would love to hear your input on the change that you want to see, until then keep reading. Cheers!
