I used to write poems, short stories, etc., intermittently. However, after completing my master's in environmental sciences, I started sharing contemporary environmental phenomena monthly from renowned magazines and presenting them to people who might be interested. I had little scope to interpret or give my opinions in the process- as if I was an extra mike after a microphone. I did not get any meaning in continuing it- I was yearning to liberate myself.
I had mixed feelings when I quit the monthly publication's aggressiveness. My friends may think- oh, eventually, I surrender. Yes, I gave away- my submission is to my inner call. Now I will write whatever I want to write.
Indeed, I will no longer be with the mainstream environmental genre. Hopefully, I will enjoy it. As- I was in the habit of this scenario from my childhood. I grew simultaneously with my friends, but I always was on the other rail- in the curve market.
I write hundreds of words for my livelihood- business letters, reports, agreements, training modules, policy procedures, etc. But I will write for myself- if I write- without any meaning.
The cost of living is surging, interest rates are creeping up, recession threatens many countries, and an energy crunch is roaring. In most developed countries, the pandemic created the biggest fall in life expectancy since the second world war. A deadly conflict in Ukraine is pushing the cost of everything from energy to a loaf of bread. Climate change is a growing threat, as record droughts, heatwaves, and floods in various parts of the world. Climate change and conflict could make things even worse.
In such circumstances, I learned one more shocking news- James Lovelock has passed away. He has had a tremendous impact on me, although I did not read a single book by him. But Lovelock touched me with his Gaia hypothesis, which I learned in my Environmental Sciences classroom. From childhood- I learned and worshiped our earth as 'Dharitri mata'- the mother earth. And, for the first time, Lovelock argued- he scientifically tried to prove that earth is a self-regulating living organism- life on earth behaves like a mega-organism. All live organisms combine through their interactions with each other and the physical systems around them.
Due to poverty, Lovelock's student life was not smooth. He had to struggle and compromise his desire with financial ability unless he flourished by the mid-1960s- he became an independent scientist, consulting for organizations such as Shell and NASA. Despite stumbling in life, Lovelock was an example of compassion. After graduating in 1941, he was offered a job as a technician at the National Institute for Medical Research in London. They told him to study the effect of heat on the skin by exposing shaved rabbits to heat radiation, but he preferred to burn himself. He found that after a week or so of repeated exposure, the pain became merely a sensation of pressure. But the area of his arm he used in the study remained insensitive for the rest of his life.
Lovelock died at age 103. He died on July 26, his 103rd birthday.
Everybody called James Lovelock- Jim.
Rest in Gaia, Jim.
No comments:
Post a Comment