The world is going Green! It’s the in thing to be. If you didn’t know, well … you are old. I was born a dreamer and taught to believe in miracles. For me, the world we are living in is a miracle. From the solar powered, customer-serving robots in Japan to the electricity generating wind mills off the coast of Netherlands-we can safely conclude that humanity is discovering new frontiers in the quest to adapt to the ever growing threat that is climate change. While our brave twighlight generation engage in supporting establishment of these ventures, the Youth are the face of the champions selling this new paradigm shift which integrates economic pursuit with Mother Nature ‘consciousness’ – as Oprah might put it – in English, sustainable development. It’s become the most popular term in modern economics while sociologists ponder whether it is worth dedicating a whole course to. There has been talk from Western governments of ‘greening’ their economy while developing countries, India and Brazil for example, have taken a lead role in pioneering major renewable energy projects, the former focusing on nuclear energy and the latter on bio-diesel fuel. With the facts amassed and the culprit responsible for our un-even variation in weather patterns already identified, our very own beloved country has not been spared. Infact, the Jury is still out on whether we shall recover from shooting ourselves on the foot by the deforestation (read massacre) of our precious forest cover that is the source of water and life. We have tried however to be at the forefront of adapting to climate change in Africa. if Mumias Sugar and its great fete of generating its own electricity while selling the surplus to KPLC – solely by using the remains of its sugar cane as bio-diesel, is anything to go by, we’re surely on the right track.
As I continue to ponder the contemporary global challenge of climate change and marvel at these new innovations, I can’t help but seclude back to the silent voice in my head that probes the sense in all these efforts to adapt to and mitigate the effects of climate change, if we pay little attention to the changing climate inside of us. Hearts are growing colder as the globe gets warmer. If you observe carefully without slipping into the entangling web of making value judgments, you can see it all around. From the constant one-dimensional gloom and doom reporting from our bipartisan media outlets, greed exemplified by the business-savvy elitists, to the empty rhetoric offered by our political class, it’s clear that we are loosing the plot while fueling the pot-our atmosphere. Environmental and global activists for Mother Nature (and human rights for that matter), I included; struggle to find congruence in living what they strongly advocate for. Developed countries – who are the biggest contributors of the carbon released as a result of early industrialization – argue and refuse to let developing countries have a fair go at development by stalling to commit on cutting their emission. We are in need of greener leadership; in need of more climate act-vocacy than advocacy.
So what can we learn from nature? What characteristics of the environment we vigorously advocate for can we project into our daily interactions with our world? First we must learn that nature is never in a rush to create, yet it always produces its fruit on time! There’s wisdom of the ages in that simple fete. It means that our universe does not struggle to give us its best gifts. It does so effortlessly and consistently, since existence.
Second, nature is always harmonious in its sharing. It gives & gives & gives and even when it seems to be out of niceties (read during droughts) Mother Nature still produces its last fruit for its starving young. Such sacrifice can only come second to none! The universe understands that the primary law of cause and effect will always be on its side for whatever it gives, it shall return - sevenfold!
The third and most thrilling aspect of our universe is the fact that out of all the wonderful life it produces and has produced throughout millennia; it has its root in the law of abundance. There is always a sense of abundance wherever nature abounds. Whereas ours is a production system constructed around the premise of scarcity of the limited resources - hence justification for hoarding, Mother Nature knows no such thing! There is more than enough for every species to not only exist, but thrive!
The final and hardest-to-grasp characteristic of Mother Nature is the Oneness of all the species residing within it – apart from the most vulnerable – the Human species. Each of the species knows their role in the respective ecosystem - apart from us. We take without restrain, give with conditions attached and fail to share equitably. It is clear that we have much to learn from our Mother, if only we could listen and stop destroying ourselves from within.
- E. N. D. -
