Climate Change : Current Solutions

 GREEN INITIATIVE THAT WERE ADOPTED TO SAVE 

OUR PLANET

-Ishita Desai

Climate change is a global issue that affects not only humans but also every other living creature on earth. It is of great importance that we find a solution to these issues . Sometimes the answers to our questions have already been presented and we just have to innovate and improvise.Many individuals and organizations have taken various initiatives to save the environment , such acts inspire the masses and can be further improved upon. Some of them are:

• Disney's Fight Against Plastic Waste: The company has always had environmental projects. These include the Disney Conservation Fund in 1995 and its commitment to reduce green house emissions by 41 percent in 2017.This year, Disney announced that they will get rid of single-use plastic straws and stirrers in 2019.
• Eco-City Project: The port city of Hamburg, Germany , launched the Eco-City Project to serve as a new standard for green development. The Eco-City is made to be self-sustaining through the use of several green technologies. These include huge and smaller, vertical wind turbines to power the city .
•  Lilyfield Housing Development: In Sydney, Australia, a public housing project proved that sustainability and affordability can be in harmony. The Lilyfield Housing Development constructed 88 unit with the environment in mind. This green development was eventually certified with a Five star Green Star rating making it first ever social housing project to get recognition.

These examples make it clear that solutions are available all around us . All we have to do now is work hard to implement them . It is after all our responsibility to save our planet.

Sustainable Development the Gandhian Way

Sustainable Development 

The Gandhian Way

-Ishita Desai

Environmental sustainability is the most burning issue with which every one of us is related very closely. Environmental Sustainability means to sustain ability, both the ability of the environment to regenerate and the ability of people to retain control over their living conditions. Many people have speculated over the years on how to create a society that was self-sufficient , self-sustainable and would not harm mother nature . One of these people was Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, alias Mahatma Gandhi . At the first glance Gandhi might not exactly seem like an environmentalist, neither did he ever refer to himself as one , but as we start reading his writings the scattered thoughts on environment in them paint a clear picture.

Gandhi considered the earth a living organism. His ideas were expressed in terms of two fundamental laws: Cosmic law and the Law of Species. Cosmic Law views the entire universe as a single entity. Nothing could malfunction outside the threshold limits built into the grand system that includes both living and non-living phenomena. He believed that the universe was structured and informed by the cosmic spirit, that all men, all life and indeed all creation were one. Regarding the law of species Gandhi believed that without the cooperation and sacrifice of both human and non-human beings evolution is not possible. Being rational human beings, we are the custodians of the rest of creation and should respect their rights and cherish the diversity. 

These were the reasons Gandhi saw taking up more resources than needed as theft. Gandhi’s ideas developed from his understanding about the ecological interdependence of the universe. Modern industrial civilization has had a huge impact on human kind as well as on the environment. It made a small part of the population wealthy at the cost of exploiting the world's natural resources. Gandhi believed that it propagates nothing other than the hunger for wealth and the greedy pursuit of worldly pleasures.

He was not against the technology, but the technologism which creates a hierarchical relationship among men as well as between men and nature.Modern civilization involved an egregious amount of violence against nature which was largely seen as man's property. 

Gandhi believed that villages would soon disappear due to the urbanization which is part of modern civilization, and of which environmental degradation is a product. While the western environmentalists spread the message of "going back to the nature" Gandhi spread the message of "going back to the villages". He believed that the "the blood of the village is the cement with which the edifice of the cities is built.”

Although we may not understand everything about the interdependence of mankind and nature , one thing is perfectly clear , if man’s rampant and unchecked exploitation of natural resources does not stop ,sooner rather than later , the survival of humanity itself is at risk .

The Tangled Tale of Two Worlds

 The Tangled Tale of Two Worlds

A brief history of the philosophy of history

We can easily define and differentiate between history and philosophy . On a surface level history is the branch of knowledge dealing with past events ,a continuous, systematic narrative of past events as relating to a particular people, country, period, person, etc., usually written as a chronological account, and philosophy is the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence, especially when considered as an academic discipline. 

Although definitions may help us understand the basic ideas behind the two subjects , they do not give a clear picture of what history and philosophy truly mean.The definitions are too rigid , reality is not set into neat boxes but is miscible . At first glance the two seem very different , but as we look closer the borders between them seem to blur and become more illegible .

An example of the two subjects being entwined with one another can be seen in the phrase “philosophy of history” . Not to be confused with the history of  philosophy , which follows the past journey of philosophy .

The concept of history plays a fundamental role in human thought. It invokes notions of human agency, change, the role of material circumstances in human affairs, and the putative meaning of historical events. It raises the possibility of “learning from history.” And it suggests the possibility of better understanding ourselves in the present, by understanding the forces, choices, and circumstances that brought us to our current situation. It is therefore unsurprising that philosophers have sometimes turned their attention to efforts to examine history itself and the nature of historical knowledge. These can be grouped together into the term “philosophy of history.” This work is heterogeneous, comprising analyses and arguments of idealists, positivists, logicians, theologians, and others.

While we today , in the modern world , believe that history progresses in a linear manner , many ancient cultures held mythical concepts of time that were not linear . Such societies saw history as cyclical , with alternating dark and golden ages. A four age count matches Vedic ages known as the Satya , Treta , Dwapara and Kali yugas . 

There is disagreement about the extent to which history is ultimately deterministic (historical determinism). Some argue that geography (geographic determinism), economic systems (economic determinism), or culture (cultural determinism) prescribe "the iron laws of history" that decide what is to happen. Others see history as a long line of acts and accidents, big and small, each playing out its consequences until that process gets interrupted by the next.

While this topic is far too vast to be covered within a single article , it gives us an idea of how deep , rich and truly entwined they are with each other.

Today's Youth , Tomorrow's Leaders

Today's Youth, Tomorrow's Leaders 

" You get in life what you have the courage to ask for. "

                                                                              -  Oprah Winfrey

Young people are a part of the bouquet of a society , but their roles are just as important as others , if not more. The youth of today , which are only buds, will soon bloom to be the centre of attraction . The values which are conveyed to the young ones , are the ones which will be carried forward to the generations to come. This is why it is important to properly shape the youth . Values of responsibility , sympathy , conviction , etc . should be taught . 

The society today is highly competitive , and such an environment hard work, conviction , determination and especially resilience are necessary . When  knocked down one should be able to pick oneself back up and not wallow in self pity . A person who perfectly portrays this quality is Oprah Winfrey . 

Oprah Winfrey was born to a poor maid , who left her I the care of Oprah's grandmother . Oprah had to go through many tough times , she had to wear dresses made out of potato sacks by her grandmother due to their penury . But she did not let this stop her from becoming one of the most influential women in the world . She rose through poverty , racism and physical abuse like that of a phoenix from ashes . Her hard work , determination , diligence and resilience are truly admirable and inspirational . 

The youth today should take inspiration from Oprah's life and not make their struggles an excuse for quitting but a motivation to strive for success .

Monsoon Musings

                       MONDAY MUSINGS                                                 

Today has been quite an eventful day . While walking back to home from school it suddenly started to rain. Luckily, in the morning my mother had insisted that I should carry my umbrella, so Idid not end up getting soaked , unlike a few of my friends . On my way I noticed that the people who were previously sleeping on the pedestrian path were now either covering themselves with a blue plastic or were scrambling to find shelter, to protect themselves from the hard pellets of water pouring down from the sky . Stray animals , such as cats and dogs , strutted around to find a dry spot to rest . Any people who had forgotten to carry umbrellas were standing under the extended roofs of small shops and street side vendors. The animals who had managed to find a dry spot were being evicted by the people who wanted to remain untouched by the rain.

While some were trying to get away from the rain others were enjoying the fresh breath of air the monsoon brought with it. Children are playing in the rain, making paper boats and floating them in the tiny streams of water formed by the cracking of cement and concrete . A group of four to five boys was jumping from puddle to puddle , another group was playing football in the , now muddy , ground . After walking for a bit more I reached my home. As soon as I stepped in , I shrugged the heavy school bag off of my weary shoulder and lied down on my bed .

Seeing the homeless helplessly search for shelter made me realize that not all have cozy beds and a roof atop their head when it rains . The unfortunate animals frantically looking around for a place to hide within to avoid getting poured on by the heavy rains , made my heart melt in pity. Seeing adults run away from the rain and children run around in it made realize of how life fleets away in mere moments , how once these same grown ups would have enjoyed the rain just as much , how the responsibilities of adulthood take away the joys of one's childhood , and of how grateful I am to life itself . I am privileged in ways others are not , for which I am eternally thankful.