Daily Times

For centuries, man has been trying to reach the skies. From Stone Age to the modern era, man struggled and he is still struggling to make his life better. Man is in a constant flux. He wants to move on. It seems he will never look back. What he leaves behind is never bothered about. He constantly battles with Mother Nature. He broke the laws of nature because he is believes himself the supreme in the universe. But in his never-ending journey, he forgets that there must be some limitations and there are rules which he bounds to follow.

With time, we all are becoming victims of urban sprawl. Vast areas of lands in major cities are grabbed illegally. We all witness the emergence of unplanned high-rise in the centre of cities. Water shortage, sewage problems, traffic rush, and illegal electricity connections are all the gift of urbanization. More and more vehicles can be seen increasing in numbers, on the road. This is the main factor leading to air pollution. It seems there is no check and balance.

We all are facing challenges due to coronavirus. Major part of the world is under lockdown. We are witnessing the best part of the world environment. The world is now pollution free. As there is no traffic on the road, trees are much greener, wind is smoother and fresh flowers are blooming. The mighty sun is shining very bright. It seems the mother earth is rejuvenating, itself. Sky is much clearer and birds are chirping merrily, every day.

Coronavirus challenge has, no doubt, impacted the mankind in numerous ways. Man is bound to think that he is not the only one who is habitat of this earth. Recently, CNN aired that in America wild animals can be seen roaming on roads freely because there are no human species around. Now we are all in lockdown and now it is the turn of species other than human to walk freely. So where do we stand now as human being? It is time to contemplate what we did to the Mother Nature.

There were times when people were spending life in villages amidst beautiful and serene surroundings. Small house made of mud or clay with surrounded by huge courtyards would have chorpais orderly placed. It seems that man is now yearning again for his lost tradition.

Due to urbanization, man is contemplating what he has lost in the pursuit of modernization. Cities and even towns have become jungle of concrete. For the successful and speedy life, he left his ancestral place. It seems now the modern man is missing the poise and serenity of rural life. Yes, man has earned all the privileges of modern life, but he has lost his independence and peace of mind. Due to fast paced life, he has no time for his family. Even he does not have time to see his own children for days. Is this a real prosperity? When his family needs him the most, he is not around.

Inner peace is a blessing. When we are at peace with ourselves, we are happy with our environment and surroundings too

After so many years, the mankind has got a chance to sit home and contemplate. This is blessing in disguise for today’s modern man. We are all locked in our homes. The environment outside of our home is now clean and pollution free. The animal kingdom, excluding us, is astonished to see the changes on the planet earth. Ironically, the coronavirus pandemic has cleaned the earth’s atmosphere. Now, this is the real change. We need to introspect, before the lockdown ends. Are we moving in the right direction? So do we need all these luxuries? I recently saw a post which said “world economy has fallen, and is constantly falling down because we are buying the only necessities”.

What we need is a simple way of living. No junk food, no gyms, no branded clothes, no latest gadgets. What we need is good relationships, healthy and pollution free environment, fewer clothing, nutritious food and clean water. After decades man is understood that we need minimum items for survival and not the so called luxuries. In the pursuit of luxuries, man lost his sanity, his own peace of mind.

Inner peace is a blessing. When we are at peace with ourselves, we are happy with our environment and surroundings too. Man earns for his physical needs but deep down he needs spiritual satisfaction. This tranquility can come through simplicity and serendipity. The time has come that we start focusing on our lost dynamics. We built huge empire in cities but it seems that we now want to go back in the golden era where our forefathers spent their lives with best of health and vigour.

Modern man is yearning to go back to the golden era of traditional values. He wants to go back to his roots again. Because urbanization has stolen his true self. He wants again to listen to melodies of chirping birds, sound of falling brooks and to taste its sweet water. This is the ultimate truth of real rural life. So are we on the brink of counter urbanization? This is the question we need to ask ourselves in this hour of self-quarantine isolation and contemplation.

The writer is a psychologist, life coach and a freelance columnist