Recently the World Has Been like Responding to Fire by Pouring Gasoline in it

Nuclear Explosion 1
A mushroom-shaped cloud and water column from the underwater Baker nuclear explosion off the Marshall Islands, July 25, 1946. (Pictures from History/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Imagine a high-rise building inhabited by many persons that is on fire. Surely this is the time to forget all differences and get together to extinguish the fire. Unfortunately instead of cooperating to extinguish the fire various residents are busy squabbling with each other.

Then suddenly the most powerful person appears with a gasoline pipe and starts sprinkling it on two floors of the building. Others shout at him—what are you doing? He replies arrogantly—these two floors belong to my rivals and I must destroy them so that I can continue to dominate this building and remain the unquestioned number one.

Others shout back—but in the process you will destroy all including yourself. The most powerful man merely responds by calling on all his cronies to assist him in pouring more gasoline.

The condition of our planet today is very similar to this. Like never before life on earth is threatened by two man-made factors—accumulation of weapons of mass destruction huge enough to destroy the entire world many times over, and nearly a dozen very serious environmental problems. At a time when the entire world should be cooperating to resolve and reduce these enormous problems, instead conflicts and wars among various countries have increased to a very dangerous extent, and the most dangerous conflict possibilities are driven by the quest for dominating the entire world or a particular region of the world.

As recent events have shown, this already dangerous situation is being aggravated time and again by highly irresponsible attacks and inflammatory statements, setting up and intensifying escalation cycles, reflecting the very sad reality that the most powerful decision makers are acting with extremely narrow vision and displaying scant regard for their planetary responsibilities—the attitude of let me at least burn the floors of my rivals even if the entire building is destroyed in the process.

While stopping wars and the weapons race has never been so important for saving life on earth as it is today, at the very same time the military industrial-complex has emerged as a very powerful interest group that promotes forever wars and the ever-increasing orders for the ever-more destructive weapons.

If all the people of world are informed well about the real situation and asked if they are willing to accept such high risks and threats to safety for themselves and their children, about 99% are likely to vote that they refuse to accept such high risks. Yet despite the supposed increasing spread of democracy, the yearnings of 99% of people for a safer world get neglected while the agenda of high risks for almost the entire humanity (as well as other forms of life) gets pushed further.

While these destructive attitudes are most obviously seen in various wars and conflicts—including those that lurk in the shadows—in addition these can be seen also in other important areas. Despite the well-established fact that the safety of food and the health of soil have been very adversely affected in recent decades like at no other time in history, policies which will aggravate these trends further are being widely pushed by those big business interests which have managed to become the most powerful force in influencing food and farming policies despite all the massive harm they have caused. The fact that those struggling for safe food are increasingly the weaker side despite the evidence being overwhelmingly in favor of their demands and assertions, as also the fact that big business lobbies despite having been proved wrong again and again, despite the opposition voiced to their agenda by eminent and independent scientists, are increasingly calling the shots at the policy levels is indicative of the power of big business prevailing over the urgency of public interest. So those products of big business found time and again to be extremely harmful continue to be promoted very widely.

Similarly other very powerful interests, such as those of fossil fuels and several mining companies, and those profiting from various kinds of hazardous products and intoxicants, to give just a few examples, have been pushing the world towards even more destructive future at a time when there is great urgency for protective steps.

All this is reflection of a world that has continued to become more dangerous for people, who often do not even realize the full implications of all that is happening, but whose commitment and yearning is definitely for a safer and more secure world for themselves and for future generations. Despite the increasing façade of democracy and democratic institutions, the people’s most basic yearnings for safety for themselves and their children are most rudely and arrogantly being pushed aside to make room for a destructive agenda of greed and profits and even more so of control and dominance, pursued in dangerous ways that can get out of hand to unleash massive destruction, some of if it intended, some unintended.


While several people may be used by the most destructive agents and agencies having enormous resources, those at the core of such destructive agenda are perhaps no more than about 1 per cent or so of the world’s population, perhaps even less, and so dislodging them to place the world firmly on a path of peace, environment protection and justice is certainly not an impossible task. With deep commitment and thoughtful planning, the world’s most concerned and caring people can still get their act together to save the planet and its people, as well as all the other living beings in all their diversity and beauty. So many good efforts are already being made. So many people are still doing work that brings real hope. But the bigger efforts that can consolidate these many smaller efforts to reorganize the world on basic commitments of peace, environment protection and justice have not been made yet. Herein lies the biggest challenge of our times. Perhaps a beginning can be made by about 100 or so very eminent persons from the entire world, with confirmed deep commitment to peace, justice and environment protection, getting together for this cause and taking the help of the United Nations and/or other important organizations, present a plan for moving forward in this direction, explaining also the urgency for this by bringing out in easy to understand language and format the seriousness of the present crisis. This should not be a one time effort but should provide for follow-up actions and continuity. 

Bharat Dogra is Honorary Convener, Campaign to Save Earth Now. His recent books include Planet in Peril, Protecting Earth for Children, Earth without Borders and A Day in 2071.                       

Tags:

Support Countercurrents

Countercurrents is answerable only to our readers. Support honest journalism because we have no PLANET B.
Become a Patron at Patreon

Join Our Newsletter

GET COUNTERCURRENTS DAILY NEWSLETTER STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX

Join our WhatsApp and Telegram Channels

Get CounterCurrents updates on our WhatsApp and Telegram Channels

Related Posts

Maybe Doom Isn’t Scary Enough 

I interviewed three anti-nuke activists to understand the Doomsday Clock and how our society thinks about the very real threat of nuclear war.  “Dear young people who have never experienced…

Join Our Newsletter


Annual Subscription

Join Countercurrents Annual Fund Raising Campaign and help us

Latest News