Talk 1: Who has made my earth sick?
Introduction
I’m frightened. I fear that my Earth is going to die soon. Please help me. My brain is traumatised.
My name is Naginder Sehmi , 83 years old. I have been a happy man and look forward to dying happily as nature wants. But during the last few years I have been deeply troubled by a mental sickness. I feel as if a doomsday spiral has engulfed me. I am unable to bear to see dear Earth in such a miserable state.
In order to overcome my fear I read authors like Andrea Wulf, Yuval Noah Harari, Steven Pinker, Raj Patel and Jason Moore, and Le Temps, my local newspaper. But my mental trouble has worsened. Then CORVID-19 lockdown struck me even harder.
Now, I am convinced, not imagining, that a virus called Bacterium homo graedigus (BHG) has infected our Earth. This bacterium is different from Yersinia pestis that caused the plague, and variola virus that caused smallpox. You will recall that they nearly exterminated the human beings. Now BHG terrifies me.
In order to reduce my anxiety, I have written down my fears and convictions in twenty-one short Talks. Other than the writers I have just mentioned, written and oral contributions by many young curious minds consoled me much.
I’ve posted my twenty one Talks on this website.
Poor sick Earth
Something far graver than any pandemic has afflicted my Earth. It has a high fever. The thermometer column has been rising for an awfully long time. But no one has bothered. The fever has become unbearable. Many centuries ago, Earth-Doctors had already diagnosed the cause. Now they are unable to control the spread of this nameless deadly disease.
Who are these Earth-Doctors?
They are the well-wishing scientists, attentive philosophers, wise thinkers, conscientious environmentalists, ecologists and many young and old ordinary alert people like you and me. They vociferously warn us about the current grim state of the patient through bulky books, reports, articles, reviews, conferences, debates, summits, social media and demonstrations. Yet no one dares to name the disease nor the culprit bacteria.
One wonders why? As many of you know, a number of brave predecessors of these Earth-Doctors had the courage to declare the name of this nasty infection and even prescribe its powerful antidote.
What happened to them?
They were despicably killed for their audacity. The current Earth-Doctors are frightened. They do not dare administer the well-known medicine to cure poor sick Earth. They conceal the disease by highlighting its symptoms .
Crafty human brains used another ploy to silence the brave Earth-Doctors. They transformed these pioneers into prophets, messiahs, avatars, buddhas, gurus and saints. To this day, we worship them more piously than the “Almighty God”. We smartly concealed their prescriptions in songs and chants that we have been singing morning and evening. No one administeredthe medicine to my sick Earth.
By the way, humans schemed and invented this God much earlier and used it to bolster their own self image and esteem.
My Armageddon
Today I dare to tell you the truth, or as near the truth as is humanly possible. I have been singing one such song for a long time. It formed my morning prayer. I even made and left offerings. After much time I realized that I was really cheating myself. My sly singing tactic relieved me of my responsibilities. I was convinced that fictitious, ethereal gods are sorting out all ills of the world. So the Armageddon looming on the horizon cannot touch me.
I muzzled our Earth-Doctors and let them howl. I thwarted their attempts to prescribe the potent treatment. Totally confused, deep down I’m terrified. Surely many of you are as well. Will my Earth be ever cured?
I am terrified and scared. I do not have courage left to utter the name of the nasty bacteria nor the antidote. Hopefully, I’ll retrieve some courage by next week! Goodbye for now.
