Believe….
Have you ever wondered what the world would be like today if we didn’t believe in the smallest of things? If no one believed in the good people, there would be no kindness in the world. If Abraham Lincoln didn’t believe in abolishing slavery, America would never have had an African American as president in the White House today.
Nor would we have had a separate homeland if Mohmmad Ali Jinnah didn’t believe in the idea of Pakistan. It was the masses’ belief in Che Guevera that led to the revolution. If environmentalist didn’t believe in nature the debate of conservation and climate change might have been altogether different today. The world of technology we live in today might not have been possible if some lone whiz kid in a cold basement did not believe that he could make a difference.
Believing is a powerful force! It’s an innate ability that drives humans to achieve extraordinary things that shape the world. It is belief that drives humans to have confidence and triggers an alarm when things go downhill.
But as humans, we are programmed to take things for granted after a while, for we faultily assume that the things we rely on will remain by our side forever. It’s exactly this misplaced assumption about nature that has made the human race presumptuous about nature’s resources.
It has been this very disregard for Mother Nature that has brought us ills like climate change and global warming, as well as extinction of beautiful species.
Nowadays, humans value concrete structures more than the cool shade of a Banyan tree, a ride in the air-conditioned car is more relishing than a hike up a hill; humans have fallen in love with themselves, rather than the beauty of nature surrounding them.
But fortunately, there are some who believe in nature conservation, who understand that climate change is real and slowly moving towards becoming a catastrophe for all life on our planet.
It is this believe that makes them work hard for a cause many choose to ignore or consider non-existent. It’s important to believe that we humans can control climate change, we can make a difference, a difference that can be impactful. We need to believe with all our hearts and souls in this environmental movement and let it gain momentum. For when we believe in ideas in the purest and truest ways is when they blossom the most.
It is time we realize the importance of nature, of earth, its needs and the warnings that it keeps throwing at us. Glacial melt, earthquakes, tsunamis — each one has something to do with humans’ meddling with affairs of our planet. It is time we start believing earth needs our attention, that we can restore our planet to its true glory one step at a time. Let’s start believing that our actions matter and in our abilities to do better; for without the right belief and actions, we will leave our children nothing but a plundered planet.
Nadia Farooq is Sr Human Resource Officer, WWF-Pakistan.
