I was at a transit airport waiting for my connecting flight the other day. I could see the airport tarmac from the waiting area. The waiting area was crowded as it was almost time to board. The incoming flight had arrived and was waiting on the tarmac to come to our gate. There was something going on at our designated gate and so they had stopped the incoming flight from arriving at the gate. The flight was on the tarmac waiting for an open gate for almost like 15-20 mins.
I noticed the gentleman seated next to me staring at his watch often, and shake his head in despise. He would utter something beneath his breath and clearly looked irritated.
He turned to me pointing to the airplane outside the window and asked, “Do you know how much fuel a plane consumes just standing there on the tarmac?”. I knew it must be something big but had no idea and so shook my head for a ‘No’. I thought he will say some gallons/minute but all he said was “it’s a loooot of fuel”. “It’s just a waste, you know”. I nodded my head for a ‘Yes’. It was indeed a lot of fuel waste for a large plane to sit and wait.
He continued. “We humans don’t deserve this planet”. “We cut trees, burn fossil fuels and are destroying our environment”. “Animals are going extinct at an astonishing rate”. I joined in and we spoke about how the environment is getting affected. At one point he said “the best thing for this planet is to have all humans go back to forests and live like how stone age people lived. Only then earth has a chance to survive”.
I knew I did not agree with that sentence but before I could say anything there was a gate change announcement. We stopped our conversation right there and we both walked separate ways to the new gate. I did not see him after that.
I came back home that night with his words still baking at the back of my mind.
Should humans go back to living in forests and caves to protect the earth?
Before we answer this question, we must first look at the conditions in which the cave men lived thousands of years back. Cave men lived in caves; in forests; midst nature. Yes, it feels good and maybe even inviting to see those beautiful pictures and videos of nature and animals on TV. The reality however is far from it. Those colorful birds in the videos are not singing a duet. They are on a hunt to tear open an insect and eat it while the insect is still struggling. That insect was not waiting for the bird but rather searching for a worm to bite in into pieces or swallow the worm whole. Nothing out there is rosy. There is a big game of survival being played all the time and this applied to the cave men too. Living in forests and caves is not an easy thing. There is no coffee when you wake up in the morning, no hot biriyani for lunch nor that plush mattress and pillow to sleep on in the night. There are no doctors on call nor police to protect you. The cave men lived in constant fear of wild animals, struggled under weather, died due to diseases as they did not have a cure. Life was tough for humans back then. It was for this reason cave men got together and formed civilizations. They realized different people in the group could create/build/grow different things and sharing helped everyone. This idea helped formed villages and cities and countries we now live in.
So, do we need to leave all this advancement and go back to living in caves? I don’t think so.
If not, then what about that gentleman’s words? If we do not want to go back to living in caves, then how can we protect our earth?
I think the answer to this question lies in understanding where we live and how we can make where we live a better place. We have become so dependent on fossil fuels and plastic; I don’t think we can suddenly stop using them completely. Maybe we should start by making small changes in our daily life. Let’s buy things only when we really need; not because there is a discount. Let’s eat only when we are hungry, and more importantly let’s finish the food on the plate every time and not throw anything. If we can avoid driving and walk instead, let’s try doing that. A quick read about recycling tells a completely different story of what is happening to the products we toss into a recycle bin. Very little, if not negligible, is getting recycled. What we put into recycling too is ending up in landfills. So, see if you can reuse, but the best is to avoid buying in the first place.
I think where we need to go from here is not back to forests and caves. Rather, where we need to go from here is doing our part a little bit; consciously; habitually, to make this earth we live in, a better place.
~Narendra V Joshi