Treat Nature with Reverence
Beth Clark, the author of this article, came to Bhagavan Baba in 1999 and has since become His instrument to encourage devotees, through workshops at Mid Atlantic [U.S.]retreats, satsangs, and as a Group 2 SSE teacher to become more aware of protecting mother earth and her environment.
Baba has said, “Man should treat nature with reverence. He has no right to talk of conquering nature or exploiting the forces of nature. He must proceed to visualize God in nature.” Unfortunately, we are not treating nature with reverence. Baba has entrusted nature to our care, but instead our activities are severely impacting the environment and changing the balance of nature. “From birth to death, from dawn till night, man pursues fleeting pleasures by the exploitation, the despoiling, the desecration of nature, ignoring the truth that it is the property of God the creator, and any injury caused to it is a sacrilege, which merits dire punishment.” (Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. 28, p. 15)
As Earth Day approaches on April 22nd, the environment continues to be at the forefront of the news. By now, we all know that many of our activities are negatively impacting the environment. Baba frequently makes reference to this. He reminds us that, “Today the world is losing its ecological balance, as man out of utter selfishness, is robbing Mother earth of her resources like coal, petroleum, iron, etc. As a result, we find earthquakes, floods, and such other devastating natural calamities. Human life will find fulfillment only when ecological balance is maintained.” (Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. 33, p. 15)
Every time we impact the environment, we are impacting God—Baba, because every aspect of nature is God—all creatures, all plants and trees, the mountains, the oceans, and the five elements. Once we understand this, we will understand that when we harm the environment we are harming ourselves. Baba reminds us, “I am the indweller of all the insects, all the birds, and animals. I am present in all the living beings;” and “The universe is the body of God; every particle in it is filled with God, His glory, His might, His inscrutability.” (Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. 12, p. 34)
So, how are we impacting the environment? Baba has said, “Man’s misadventures have created several problems for the entire mankind. He has polluted the five elements causing havoc on the earth. There is pollution everywhere—in air, water, food, and so on. His misdeeds coupled with his evil thoughts and feelings have degraded human life on the earth. If man acts in the righteous way, there will be no pollution at all.” (15 May 2000, Divine Origin of Five Elements, Brindavan)
How are we polluting the elements? Take water for example. Only 1% of the earth’s water supply is drinkable; the rest is salt water or locked in the polar icecaps. Much of this water is polluted from runoff from fertilizers, sewage, and other waste. Human water consumption has increased six times since 1900, and 2.3 billion people face water shortages. Wetlands are the earth’s water purification system. They also regulate water levels, prevent flooding, and provide crucial habitat for many fish species and wildlife. Half of the world’s wetlands have been drained for commercial and residential use.
One of the most visible consequences of this was the devastating effect from Hurricane Katrina—the houses and businesses that were demolished were built on lands that were recently wetlands. Of course, we aren’t personally responsible for draining the wetlands. But every time we leave the tap running while we brush our teeth, and every time we do a half-full load of laundry or dishes, we are wasting valuable water.
We are all familiar with air pollution. “The carbon dioxide smoke from motor vehicles and factories is already polluting the air in cities and is affecting the ozone layer above the earth.” (Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. 26, p. 4) Where does air pollution come from? As Swami says, our cars and factories are the major sources. Every time we get into our cars, every time we turn on a light or a computer, or cook a meal, we are contributing to air pollution.
The ozone layer protects life on earth from the harmful effects of solar radiation. Without the ozone layer, life on earth could not exist. How are we impacting the ozone layer? As Baba explains, “…you have the ozone layer in the atmosphere that protects the people on earth from the ill effects of solar radiation. Because of the advance of technology, several factories have sprung up causing emission of harmful gases in the atmosphere as a result of which the ozone layer has become thinner; and if this goes unchecked, it may have disastrous consequences.” (Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. 26, p. 4)
How are our actions depleting the ozone layer? Many of the products we use contain a chemical called “chlorofluorocarbons” (CFC’s) or its cousin, “hydro chlorofluorocarbons” (HCFC’s). These chemicals are found in aerosols, air conditioning systems, refrigerators, and styrofoam. Carbon dioxide also destroys the ozone layer: “The scientists are trying to stop the break-up of the ozone layer, but they are unable to find a remedy. The actual cause for this situation is that more carbon dioxide is let into the atmosphere, which normally is absorbed by plants and trees, which can assimilate the gas and supply oxygen by the natural process of photosynthesis.” (Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. 26, p. 3)
The plants and trees would normally absorb much of the carbon dioxide that we generate from our cars and electricity consumption. However, “…because there is deforestation to an alarming extent, the extent of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has considerably increased. Therefore, the remedy for this situation is intensive afforestation, growing more trees everywhere and protecting the existing trees without destroying them for other purposes.” (Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. 26, p. 4) eighty percent of the world’s forests have been destroyed. The primary reason is to produce paper for newspaper, computer paper, copy paper, paper plates, paper towels, etc.
Understanding how our activities are impacting the environment and how we can decrease this impact can be overwhelming. There are, however, many simple changes that we can make in our everyday activities to reduce it, and if everybody changed just one or two things, cumulatively we can have a huge impact. However, we must first be mindful of our every action.
Baba tells us, “Essentially, there is no conflict between man and creation; just as a child is entitled to enjoy the milk from its mother and the bee is entitled to enjoy the honey from flowers, there can be no objection to man enjoying the resources of nature. But as a result of uncontrolled desires and reckless exploitation of natural resources, nature is exhibiting frightening disorders.” (Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. 30, p. 4)
Swami has given us clear instructions on how we can protect the environment—by practicing the ‘ceiling on desires’ program, which teaches that we should not waste money, food, time, and energy. “Man should realize that there should be no excessive indulgence in any desire, whether it be food or other necessities.” (Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. 30, p. 24) Essentially, Swami’s ‘ceiling on desires’ program can be implemented by following the environmental mantra, “Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.”
Refuse: Ask yourself: Do I really need it? Can I borrow it? Do I have something that can do the same job? Is there an alternative that won’t hurt the environment?
Reduce: Consume less! Don’t create waste—try to avoid unnecessary packaging; use cloth shopping bags instead of paper or plastic; use a water filter instead of bottled water; don’t waste food; print out only what you need; use spell-check; use both sides of the paper; turn off water, appliances, computers, and lights when not in use; use rechargeable batteries; walk, bicycle, carpool, and combine errands.
Reuse: Use durable items—cups, plates, utensils, cloth napkins, sponges, dishcloths, lunch boxes etc. Eliminate styrofoam! Reuse bags, containers, and other items; sell or donate items you no longer need—or recycle.
Recycle: Paper, metal, plastic, glass, computers, and electronics—just about anything can be recycled today. And keep in mind that buying recycled products encourages companies to produce more.
Finally, every time you purchase something, check to see if there is a similar product with less environmental impact. There is an environmental alternative for just about everything we use. For example, replace your incandescent lights with compact fluorescent lights, and always look for the “Energy Star” rating when purchasing big appliances.
As we celebrate Earth Day, we should all make an effort to “treat nature with reverence” by reducing our environmental footprint. And always remember Baba’s words: “You enjoy the sight of the mighty mountains, the big rivers, the vast ocean, and the dense forests. Who is the creator of all these beautiful manifestations in nature? God is the basis for all these.” (Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. 28, p. 15)
~Beth Clark, USA
