HOW CAN WE SAVE THE EARTH ? This is our earth, the only place we have to live on for now and in the future. World Environment day, established by the UNO in 1972, is celebrated on June 5. it has been established for all the countries of the world to create awareness among their people about how the environment, which is fast being degraded, can be saved. The chief cause of degradation are the use of forestland for agriculture and the access emission of CO2 into the atmosphere. Both these issues have to be tackled on a war footing, because both these activities lead to decrease of O2 in the atmosphere.
The day may very well come when there will be no more oxygen left for us to breathe in. the activities that we engage in are contributing hour by hour to such catastrophic end. The question we have to ask ourselves is how do we save the earth ? Well, here are a few things that each of us can do in order to save the earth. First of all, we can do our best to increase our knowledge of the flora and fauna around the world. We should developed in our minds and hearts a sincere love for plants and animals. This will increase our respect for them, and prevent us from destroying them indiscriminately.
We can also try to make others lo9ve and respect the plant and animal world. Another thing that all of us must learn is to resort to as many activities as will conserve energy. For example, switching off electrical appliances when we don’t need them, making minimal use of appliances such as the microwave, the air conditioner and the geyser, using pressure coockers, covering food while it is being cooked in order to conserve gas and other such practices that encourage conservation of energy. As far as possible, we must avoid waste, weather it be of water, or electricity or gas or even materials such as paper, pencils and so on.
We should learn to recycle goods use in the home, instead of throwing them away and buying new things. It is also important to avoid completely the uses of plastics, as these are not biodegradable and ultimately affect not only the soil environment, but also the help of those animals who eat them. When plastics enters the intestine of an animal such as a dog or a buffalo, it knots it up, strangulates them and ultimately kills them. Yet we thoughtlessly throw away plastic bag containing food and peels into rubbish dumps, hardly aware of how fatal they can be to animals and to the environment.
Each of us, in a small way, can contribute towards the mammoth task of saving the environment. Unless we take the first step in right earnest there might be no hope for the future of mankind. or proper mental deployment it is essential that that we study the best literature. If we want to shed the feeling of false superiority and to broaden our minds, we must be ever-ready to take the best form other. Now, the literatures of other countries and own different languages can be easily obtained in a English In our own languages, modern upto-date literature is out available.
This makes it essential that our young amen continue to learn English. Moreover, many a young men go to foreign countries for advanced studies. They need good knowledge of English. Its importance for such scholars is indeed very great. Engli8sh must remain a remain a compulsory subject for quite a long time to come. It must also continue to be the medium of instruction, at least in science and technology, and in other subject also in higher classes. Every effort must be made to develop our own languages. But, till our own languages are fully developed we must continue top provide facilities in our schools and collages for its study.
It would be a sad day, indeed when India discontinues the study of this important world-language, or lowers its standard. This truth is being recognized new, even by those who had indulges in anit-English agitation only a few years ago. ************************************************************************ GENERATION GAP PROBLEMS OF ELDERS IN INDIAN FAMILIES “Generation Gap” is an expression adopted by the present and forthcoming generation to shield their irresponsible, negligent, dis-respectful and indifferent behavior towards their elders. Generation gap has always been there since the dawn of civilization.
This is nature far beyond human control. No two generation can ever come into existence at one and the sometime. The world “generation” it indicates a gap. There was a generation gap when you were born, when your father was born, when your grand father and then your great grand father was born, so what about it? The fact of facts is that we want to get rid of our responsibility towards our elders under the guise of Generation gap. Every day we hear of aged people out on the streets neglected in old age homes or committing suicide in despair. Parents shower all their attention, love and care on their children.
But do the same children, when they grow up, return that affection? In the consul consumerism society of today where materialism is rampant, it is a thing of the post. Modern day pressures render people hard pressed for time. The breaking up of joint families and emergence of nuclear families add to the alienation felt by elders. The problem of old age persona is not restricted to Indian society alone. It is a world wide problem growing in magnitude every hour and every day on account of lowering of death rate, increased longevity of life for themselves because their children have no time to spare.
Career, social commitments and bays schedules come in the way. Most people equate helping the old with financial support. But this is generally not what they need. Most of the elderly people have the financial ability to look after their material needs. What they really need is company, love attention, care and respect. If we closely look into the cause of ever-widening gulf between the parents and their children we can easily conclude that it is not the generation gap but the growing influence of western culture which is based on materialism and is completely devoid of family feelings, where the institution of joint family does not exist.
Lust for modernity in the form of western dress, western music and pop dance ect. Leads our younger generation to adopt western civilization. Hence it is the difference between parents the children not the so called generation gap which has always been in existence. Indian culture teachers us to treat elders with love and respect. This comes out of our value systems and close family. But modern day pressures render people hard pressed for time. The breaking up of joint families and the emergence of nuclear families lead to the alienation felt by the elders.
Indian culture teaches us not to look after our children but the elders in our family too, be they parents, in-laws, uncles or aunts. The elderly persons should be considered an asset and we should set an example for our children by looking after our elders our elders so that they may follow in our footsteps. Admittedly, these values are taking a beating these days with a number5 of insidious influences creeping in. Remedy is easy proper guidance and control will weed out all that is undesirable and very soon the young ones will be back on the right track.
We are a respectful people by nature, young or old that makes it easier to accord our elders the respect6 and affection they deserve. Elder need a lot of more love, attention, care and respect that what they are getting. What we do today for our elders is painfully much less when compared to what needs to be done and what can be done. One way, what albeit a materialistic one, of ensuring that children look after their elders is that they should ensure that financial and property rights remind in their hands. In many cases the day the parents hand over these matters, the children neglect and sometimes even ill-treat them.
But financial ability to look after their material needs is not the real problem. The fact is that elders have either lost their friends and companions and what they really need is company. Hence spending a little time with them in conversation, including them in outings or family functions and giving them the respect due to them will certainly help them feel like they are a part of the mainstream. There should be a friendly relationship between the parents and their children let the younger lot enjoy elder’s company. They should not see them s a hindrance in any way. There should be an atmosphere of friendliness and mutual understanding. By and large, we do care for our elders simply because it is a value deeply ingrained within most Indians. However, the pressures of day-to-day living may pose a problem. It is just a matter of looking deep within our hearts and resurrecting the buried feeling, making time for thous who made all the time in the world for us. **************************************************************************************************************************************************
