Sitting at a cafe alone, watching many people come and go, I gave my order and started watching a local T20 match on the large LCD. After a while, when the waiter brought the menu, I heard a boy about five or six say, “Uncle Red Bull dey dain” (Uncle please give me Red Bull). At that moment, I thought I was hallucinating or something because this was worse than a nine-year old driving an RX-8 in Zamzama. I mean why do children need synthetic energy when they are already full of it? When my meal was served, I felt thirsty and got something to drink. As I was walking towards my table taking a sip from my can, it suddenly occurred to me that I was actually promoting an idea through my act, which especially the younger generation would be subconsciously driven to as they are extremely vulnerable to the environment. Maybe that explains how the boy must have seen someone in his family have the energy drink that contains Taurine, caffeine and sugar, which can cause psychological problems and tooth decay, if oral hygiene is ignored. Well, it was a shame watching him sit with his parents and his dad giving him a gesture, which meant, “C’mon boy, drink all of it.” I wonder what that boy would be drinking after five years. Well, this is just a tiny part of what is going on in our oblivious-to-reality society. I feel bad not just as a dentist but as a person; how three-year olds are drinking soda and having chalia (betel nut), etc, and their parents are not even bothered. Why would they be? They are not aware that it is much more dangerous for their child than themselves, causing problems in growth due to carbonic and phosphoric acid. The same thing happened eight years ago when shisha culture started in Karachi. I saw teenagers doing it all the time and it is still going on. It was considered fun going with your gang to have shisha without the realisation how it was harming them. Corporate culture has brought their products to the public by making them look attractive, just to make profit, even if there are harmful ingredients in them. Organic food has been suppressed and is non-existent in almost all the cities, giving rise to all kinds of diseases. There are heavily fluoridated water and toothpastes, which causes flourosis (defect in the outer surface of the tooth, called the enamel) and other diseases like autism, arthritis, GIT and kidney problems. Dr Arvid Carlson said, “I am quite convinced that water fluoridation, in a not-too-distant future, will be consigned to medical history. I still do not understand why dentists still use Amalgam (silver fillings) when they know the mercury present in it is toxic, but no, they will still use it as it is so economical.” ‘Sugar-free’ chewing gums are being sold but little do we know they contain an artificial sweetener, Xylitol, that can cause blood sugar to drop — diabetics must not be fooled by false marketing. Children are addicted to television, video games, going to gaming zones, smoking, swearing, watching inappropriate stuff, playing with toy guns and watching movies in theatres that are not age-suitable (thanks to no age restriction). This lack of supervision is one of the reasons for child molestation and introversion, which further causes sexual and psychological problems, including social phobia. It also leads to low IQ, drug abuse, depression and cell phones. I am reminded of the time when I saw a toddler with an iPhone and I was shocked, not only because I don’t have one, but how children are being indulged with things that they don’t need. What they really need is a healthy diet, sleep and exercise. There is another theory that the signals transmitted from the cell phone can cause brain damage. So yes, we are collectively destroying ourselves. We ban sex, drugs and alcohol and shisha (for specifically two months in Sindh), which does not really make a difference and yet allow cigarettes to be sold with a warning sign on the packs. Why? Just to show that we are an Islamic state? We are no different from animals, and we are taking our intellectual superiority for granted. Banning something is not the solution, as it multiplies the problem further. There should be freedom to do anything and awareness o be created about the consequences. Forming a society that is conscious with a conscience should be our goal. Free will means equal rights for all. Is this the society we want to live in? Maybe it is, because we do not do anything about it. Every thought is a desire itself that manifests into an action. Hence, effort cannot be made without interest or desire. Each of us is responsible for what happens around us. Only if we consider everything as part of us, we will certainly be more sensitive towards others. As human beings, our job is to take care of the entire planet and that can only happen by changing ourselves. As it is said, “One particle affects another”, creating a ripple effect. Consider yourself as an ambassador of what your behaviour is; in other words, you are inspiring others through actions. If I litter the streets, people will start doing the same thing; or if I am at a traffic signal and I stop at the red light, people will do the same. Therefore, we are all interwoven in this ‘virtual’ reality and evolving together. This is the reason one should think thrice before having a child in this era. Firstly, because of the negative environment that he/she would be exposed to, it would be hard to afford the expenses, plus there are enough homo sapiens walking on this planet already. Children do what they see around them, that is how their personalities are formed. Maybe that is the reason why we are all mortal — to keep the circle going. Ergo, it must be remembered that when you are in public, you make sure you perform acts with the intent that is inspirational to others motivating them to do the same. It will also be to ensure you are not doing things that harm others. As parents, we must be properly aware to provide our children with the right information and not lead them towards the wrong path. Let us all make the purpose of our lives to serve others. The writer is a dentist and a freelance writer from Karachi. He can be reached at pakistantaha.crusader@gmail.com