Nature: a Friend or a Fiend?

I had penned down the below given thoughts in ’08 and surprisingly the same sound relevant even today when we witness the still continuing brutal dance of Nature in Japan… The scenes of monumental destruction make you wonder if The Creator is still existent! Otherwise, how could It let It’s own creations – aided by humans on Earth – get destroyed so comprehensively! Earthquake of the highest intensity followed by Tsunami of unprecedented proportions followed by Nuclear scare of extraordinary levels … the carnage continues …

I salute the fellow humans in Japan; their dignified attitude even in the face of massive adversity is simply incredible! May they continue to draw required amount of internal – mental and physical and social and economical and political – strengths to pass through their undoubtedly the darkest hours, which too shall pass … And, Japan will soon be back at being The Land of The Rising Sun J

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“If people thought Nature was their friend, then they sure don’t need an enemy,” said Kurt Vonnegut, the accomplished American novelist and satirist.

The recent flurry of Nature’s fury makes Vonnegut’s caustic comment sound almost like a gospel. Before the world could adjust to the magnitude of destruction caused by the cyclone Nargis, there was this earthquake of very high magnitude devastating buildings and bodies alike in China. And in both cases – like in all cases of Nature’s onslaught since the start of evolution – humans’ body as well as souls got battered badly. The culprit: Nature.

Now, can this kind of Nature be anybody’s friend? …

Well, till one is himself or herself not in such a godforsaken situation, one cannot say yes or no to it. And a simple yes or no will not suffice, anyway.

It is a deep debate which requires profound understanding of the nature of Nature!

Here, we need to recall what Lao Tzu, the great Chinese philosopher and the founder of Taoism said once, “Nature is not human hearted.”

“Human-Hearted” – an intriguing adjective! What does it mean in essence?

If Nature isn’t any human’s friend, then is a human a friend of another human? Aren’t the Burmese military generals “humans” too? Then why have they left the millions of survivors to suffer further with their unrelenting refusal to allow international aids? Moreover, another aspect which should not be neglected is that why did the brutal military regime neglect the cyclone alert forwarded to it by India at least 48 hours in advance? Wasn’t it a conspiracy to kill its own countrymen? Should Nature be blamed here solely?

In contrast, what was remarkable about China's handling of the crisis was the swift action of the Chinese government. The presence of the Chinese top leaderships at the sites of devastations was a great comfort to the unfortunates and a lesson in disaster management for many so-called political leaders across the world.

So, who is humans' best friend - a fellow human or Nature? ...

Perhaps, Albert Einstein could help: "What I see in Nature is a magnificent structure that we can understand only imperfectly, and that must fill a thinking person with a feeling of humility."

I pray that some wise man’s ‘once-upon-a-time’ said words come true for the affected Burmese and Chinese: “The Rainbows of life follows the storm.” …

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The world – India included – will have to let all its thoughts and ideas converge and debate hard about putting billions of lives – humans included – at enormous risk by pushing hard – diplomatic pressures are immense on countries like India – for the much celebrated nuclear energy options …

World Leaders' Lessons in Dictator Management

Libya is burning and the world leaders are watching. They look as weak as ever and their almost stoic silence is baffling and frustrating. Muammar Gaddafi is killing his own countrymen; his illusion that he has the birthright to stay in power in conflict with Libyans’ wish should be put to an end immediately.

The United Nations which claims to be the custodian of global peace is looking as disunited as always. Even the US, the all powerful nation, is not manifesting any capability to stop the Gaddafi-sponsored carnage. The so-called compulsions of internal politics and governance in the times of economic slowdown are simply excuses. To think that in 21^st century we could be witnessing utter mutilation of humans’ rights and dignity and liberty while the entire world watched helplessly is appalling and not acceptable, and unavoidable. If the so-called global leaders cannot do any thing against Muammar Gaddafi – and all the other dictators - then they should vacate their mantle and let the courageous of the world take over the responsibilities of ridding the humanity from the shackles of stubborn monsters.

The time is still not lost. A lot could be done to oust Muammar Gaddafi. Ban Ki Moon should convene an emergency meeting of all member states and chart a military intervention strategy to stop Gaddafi’s use of violence immediately. Only sanctions will not work; nor will any amount of rhetoric satisfy the world. If force needs to be used then be it. Under the aegis of the UN, an allied force should be urgently sent to Libya to forcefully evict Gaddafi. Barack Obama, besides being the president of the most powerful nation, has the personality and the support of the global populace as a world leader, and, therefore, he should lead the world and support its pro-democracy pursuits. He - along with other global leaders - has to act his role and ensure an “orderly transition” in many parts of the world. He cannot afford to be a mute spectator and abandon the people of the world. And, hollow condemnation is akin to condoning.

President Obama, are you listening? …

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Muammar Gaddafi’s desperate attempt to cling to power in face of fierce opposition to his iron fisted rule is comical in equal measures as it is cruel. Because, if he has read the world history then he should have known that dictators do not survive people’s revolt. It is only a matter of few days before Libyans’ uprising will consume him soon.

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Folklore: In gratitude to the US president for not clamoring for his ouster sincerely, the erstwhile Egyptian president had decided to spell himself as Hosni MuBarack! …

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But the story or the struggle does not end here. World leaders have to evolve as geopoliticians and equip themselves adequately and become strong enough to deal with the future dictators of the world, if any; narrow ‘national interests’ should not be used as a smokescreen to conduct international diplomacy anymore. The rules of global governance have to be re-written by credible global leaders; they have already tasted the limits of their power and influence when it comes to tackling the world tyrants. And, hope they learn their lessons in dictator management soon…