Teesta Review: A Journal of Poetry, Volume 5, Number 1. May 2022. ISSN: 2581-7094
Stop
the World, I Want to Get Off!
 |
| Image courtesy: thehindu.com |
A warning
Before it’s too
late
Let us celebrate
The wonders of
this earth.
The flowers, the
bees,
The verdant
trees,
The land, the
ocean deep.
The birds on the
wing,
Every living
thing.
The wisdom of
God’s teaching.
‘Thou shalt not
kill’
A reminder to
instil
In the warped
minds of man.
– Betty
Oldmeadow
As
the history of yesteryear has proved beyond doubt, in spite of having large and
complex brains, Homo sapiens sapiens have an inbuilt determination to be the
architects of their own destruction. With increasing savagery they continue
with this aim, doing their best to destroy every aspect of the ecosystem in
their wake; barely any facet of the biota collectively contributing to the
maintenance of a healthy living planet, remains safe from the claws of the
misguided. Wildlife in particular has suffered extensively at the hand of man.
It is extremely sad to learn of the number of species that have already become,
or soon will become, extinct. Homo is the Latin word for ‘human’ or ‘man’ and
Sapiens is derived from a Latin word that means ‘wise or astute.’ If there was ever a prime example of
‘misnaming,’ this is it!
All manner of things we depend upon for our survival
are coming under serious threat, but man’s lack of respect for every living
thing, will do nothing to halt the process of destruction. These behavioural
patterns need to change dramatically and urgently. The warnings of experts continue
to fall on deaf ears because man’s greed blinds him to any sense of reason.
This has been a negative flaw in the nature of mankind since time began.
So if this selfish behaviour is not brought to a halt
immediately, who will be the ‘Last Man Standing?’ Will that lone figure stand
among the rotting bones of man and beast in a dry river bed, devoid of green,
and finally come to the conclusion that his own species had very little
importance in the large scale of things? He may even consider that Homo sapiens
sapiens were some kind of infestation that wilfully destroyed the once fertile ground
beneath their feet.
The life form of man is not altogether handsome when
compared to the exquisite physical appearance of say, a tiger. Indeed in
comparison, the figure of man almost fades into obscurity. Do the evil killers of this beautiful animal
ever look into the eyes of a tiger before pulling the trigger and think twice?
Do they ever consider the consequences of the enormous amount of wildlife that
has been lost to-date, driven into extinction by the hand of man? A resounding
NO, is the answer to that question. Many of those creatures could wipe their
attackers off the face of the planet, if given the chance. Will the spirits of
those innocents rise up one day and do just that? They would be more than
justified in doing so!
This barbaric behaviour will
eventually deprive the future generations of experiencing a face-to-face
contact with the currently endangered species; photographic records of the here
and now, will swell the files of the prehistoric creatures that once walked
this earth. Records compiled by Palaeontologists are, to
this day, a constant source of fascination to man. Many children, and adults
alike, are already living in a virtual reality world; only making contact with
friends and family, in the main, via social media. Having regular contact with
the natural world helps to address the balance, so it is vitally important to
protect the flora and fauna that still manages to hang on in there!
If it became necessary for ‘re-creation’ to take
place, would scientists of the future scratch their heads in disbelief as to
why the former inhabitants of earth, chose to destroy a once beautiful planet
that provided pretty well everything man could wish for to live a perfect life?
Stop the world, I want to get off; nothing in this
troubled world makes sense anymore! Except, it is a beautiful day and signs of
spring are bursting out everywhere. Oh! The beauty of this earth! It is of some
comfort to believe that Man will never supersede the wonders of Mother Nature
however hard he racks his large and complex brain. Pity
he doesn’t use it to a better advantage before it is too late!