AC and Acs...

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A friend of mine sent this in a common group.

“Pray for our city, especially those with no means and resources to face these terrible days. I am down with a heatstroke. But I am grateful to have my doctor son care for me at home. I feel deeply for the poor and the slum dwellers. May the Good Lord intervene and save us all.”

 

I have been complaining about how hot the city I live in was, little realising that many of my friends are facing much more challenges. But then I am part of the upper middle class, who can sit in the coolness of an AC and write about heat wave and climate change – the Armchair (AC) blogger!

 

It is not only heat, the floods in Mizoram and Manipur and Kerala over the last week! 


As I thought about this, it dawned on me, that I represent the rest of humanity. My study is glass windowed and becomes quite unbearable in the daytime. Friends who came in all have advised me to put an AC in my Arm Chaired study! I have resisted thus far since I can move into the bedroom which is cooler and cosy too! 

But this is me representing rest of humanity.

The 'Homo Technologicus', who look for technological solutions for every problem that we face. 

Remember the floods in Kerala a few years ago. A land full of rivers, Dams crated for Hydro-electric projects, Rains come, Dams about to overflow, Dams opened, and state flooded! Yesterday it was Dams. Today it is Coal mines and Thermo-electric projects, deforestation for mining, “inclusive development projects”, atomic energy, solar etc. (See this blog to read more on inclusive development).  


I remember reading in a book ay Carl R Truman about the transitions of humanity.  



 

Being scientific and economic man, who need to find fulfilment in the here and now, find technological solutions to cool our bodies and emotional upheavals of life. Without considering the long-term implications of a technical solution that can give us instant gratification. Currently it is the electric vehicles!


We face a problem, find a technological solution, sort it out leads to second problem and then sort that out too, and this goes on and on! 


Little realising that the here and now, destroys the then and tomorrows! And makes the world not a good living place for our upcoming generations! 

Jonathan Haidt talks about similar changes the when the “great rewiring of 2010-2015”, happened. The growth of smart phones and social media, which has now led to a Mental health epidemic. The great rewiring created by technology giants as a response to changing cultural contexts! 


I know all the theory of climate change, and I enjoy talking bout it too! But when I live a daily life, I wonder how do I live? 




Yesterday I was picked up by the driver of a sister organization and as were driving to the office we started talking about election and politics, temperatures and life in general. 

 It was an enlightening conversation. He said, about the election politics “Sir, all this is drama (Hindi word “natanki”). The speeches, the meditation in the cave, the data put out, all is natanki! (I couldn’t agree more).

 

Then he said, I live in crowded area, and it is so hot that we do not how we are surviving. But I know it will all end soon. We are like in Noah’s days, it will all burn up soon. And the world will end. We have destroyed it, and it will destroy us! 

 

I realised he in his simple sentences was able to perceive and communicate much beyond me (a climate change educated one). One the politics of leadership who plays dramas. The reality of our role in destruction and how that will come back to destroy us. 

 

I considered myself a balanced person. I am neither like the politicians who play drama with words (or actions), or like my friend driver who was living with an apocalyptic perspective. Nor like Greta Thunberg and her friends who are labelled as fanatics. But the problem is balanced people are AC blog writers. (Armchair and Air conditioned). 

 

Whereas the idiotic man, who did not have technological solutions, was able to coexist with nature, recognising the need of that coexistence! With a simple faith and knowledge!


Covid made us idiots. A small virus was enough to drive us inside and the animals came out and started to coexist with us. Pollution dropped, climate stabilised for a season, but we have forgotten it again! 

 

May be if I got out of my Arm Chair and AC, it might be better…



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