WHO SPEAKS FOR THE EARTH?





"To see a world in a grain of sand ,

and a heaven in a wild flower .

Hold infinity in the palm of your hand ,

and eternity in an hour"

-William Blake ( Auguries of Innocence. )





On this precious occasion of the 50th anniversary of EARTH DAY , let us look at the adventurous evolution of our species and why we need to protect The Earth, the only home we have ever known.





Our journey as a species began in the forests of Africa. We were hunters and gatherers and our sole purpose was , to survive. But there was something unique about us , that sets us apart from any other creature on this planet , and that is our sense of curiosity. We used to look up at the stars and wonder about our place among them.





Slowly , we started evolving , we came up with ingenious ways to express and convey our emotions through art, music , poetry , literature and so on. We developed a stream called science , based on precise experimental observations and evidence, in order to contemplate nature. Meanwhile, we never stopped looking up and wondering about our place in the Cosmos.





Now , fast forward to 20th July, 1969. The day a human being put it's first step on another world, The Moon . But I feel , on getting there and looking back, that is when we first discovered the Earth, not as a globe divided by color coded countries as shown in the classrooms, but as land, oceans and clouds , the way nature intended it to be seen. It was made possible by the many creative men and women , not only in the field of science , but in other streams as well. Although this venture was mainly fueled by the Cold War between Russia (then U.S.S.R) and America , we still reap its benefits today, one of which is a cosmic perspective, on what it means to be a human on this tiny little pale blue dot, suspended in a sunbeam.





The Earth rising over the Moon's horizon, captured from Apollo 11 spacecraft.





We landed on the Moon in 1969, the next year in 1970 , the comprehensive clean air act was passed. The environmental protection agency was established in 1970 too. The very first Earth day was celebrated on 22nd April , the same year. In 1971, the organization 'doctors without borders ' was established. Doctors without borders , this phrase itself owes it's existence to this new perspective of the Earth as one , single entity .





The Clean Water act was passed in 1971, the endangered species act was found in 1973, at that time, the United States was still at war, yet we found time to care about the Earth . That is space operating on our culture and you can't even put a price on that, it us reacting to a new perspective on what it means to be human , bestowed upon us by the space programme .









( The faint white source of light, that is our home , the Earth)





Now , fast forward to today, 2020 . We have an increasing number of people, including politicians and people in power who make policies and decisions , standing in denial of established scientific truths. There are those who deny climate change, or Darwin's Theory of Evolution, or vaccinating their kids. The day two politicians are arguing over whether the science is true is the beginning of the end of the established democracy of the country as we know it.

As voters , as citizens of the Earth, scientific issues will come before you , isn't it worth it to say " Okay at least I will make my self scientifically literate, so that I can think about these issues and act intelligently upon them" .









On July 22 , 2013 , the Cassini spacecraft captured the Earth and the far side of Saturn with its ring's . Earth can be seen as a faint source of light in this image.





Carl Sagan one of the best astronomers of the 20th century , a brilliant science educator , and a good human being. His writings truly depict the fragility of Earth , while showcasing it's enormous beauty , it makes you think over the state of the World , and a compulsion to do something about it. Educators like Carl Sagan , Neil deGrasse Tyson , Brian Greene and many more have been performing a noble pursuit in bringing people closer to the Cosmos . This article , as well it's writer has been greatly inspired by them , and the aim is to keep looking up at the stars , and wondering!





"In the last two centuries abject slavery , which has been with us for a thousand years , has almost entirely being eliminated by a stirring world wide revolution. Women , systematically mistreated for millennium , are gaining economic and political power, traditionally denied to them. The old appeal to racial , sexual and religious chauvinisms and nationalist fervour are beginning not to work .A new consciousness is developing, that sees the Earth as a single entity, and recognizes that an organism at war with itself , is doomed. We know who speaks for the states , we know who speaks for the nations, but who speaks for the human species, WHO SPEAKS FOR THE EARTH? "

-CARL SAGAN









This image is called THE DAY THE EARTH SMILED , as the Cassini spacecraft captured Saturn , it's rings and the Earth with its tiny little Moon orbiting it. The image called for people in the World to reflect their place in the Cosmos , to marvel at life on Earth and to look up and smile in celebration.





You and me , we owe our obligation to survive and flourish , to the birds chirping in the morning , the butterfly that flutters around the beautiful flowers, which blossom on account of sunlight , to every star that twinkles in the night , in which the ingredients of life , the elements that make up you and me, and the Cosmos itself , were cooked in the core of these stars billions of years ago , and spewed out during violent and beautiful supernova explosions . You , me , the Sun , the Earth and the stars , every person you love, every person you know , every human being on this planet , we are all made of stardust. So not only you are within the Universe , the Universe is within you.

We have come a long way , and in this process , we have made a lots of mistakes. Nuclear arms and weapons threaten every single citizen on this planet. We have to look after this pale blue dot , it's the only home we have ever known .And thus, WE SPEAK FOR THE EARTH.





Our actions will decide the fate of this planet , and the generations that will succeed us . We must make our decisions wisely , we must do what is right , to protect and preserve our home . This tiny little blue planet of ours , it's in our hands.





"The Earth is a fine place and worth fighting for."

-Ernest Hemingway.





Article by : Shanawaz Shaikh

F. Y. BSc Jai Hind College , Mumbai .