Walls

I have noticed something about people which worries me. People love to follow blindly. We love to hide behind the opinions of others; influential people like presidents, godmen, industrialists, actors, social workers, scientists... people and organisations who do the thinking and make decisions for us.

Mass media, art and psychology are powerful tools. By putting them together those in power can create a campaign that will that will sway the masses in any direction they want. The Romans who were easily convinced of Caesar's ambition were just as easily convinced of his selflessness. Public memory is short. People who were burning Maggi on the streets a few months ago are now happily welcoming its return.

Human society has certainly progressed since era of absolute monarchy, colonialism and dictatorship. Democracy, education and social media have made the individual powerful. We united to make India corruption free. We united for a Swacch Bharat. We united to protect our women. We united to protect the rights of the LGBT community. These are wonderful things, and I am glad they are happening. But there is one trait that all these movements have in common - none of them requires any sacrifice from the common man. What happens when the 'right thing' comes in the way of what we like? What happens when we need to make a sacrifice for the greater good?  That's when we stop thinking and hide behind walls.

Do you use any of these products? So do I. I just thought I'd let you know that we've all contributed to the death of over 50,000 orangutans and supported unpaid child labour among other horrible things. How? Every one of these products contains palm oil. Most of it is produced in an unsustainable manner which harms the wildlife and the local people. So what will you do?* Give up the use of these products? Feel terrible, share and like this post and forget all about it? What will I do about it? Writing an accusatory post doesn't absolve me of my own sins. 

That's where I come to the first wall : HELPLESSNESS
When  big words like 'destruction of rainforests' and 'climate change' are thrown around, they get a lot of claps and cheers. But if feeling bad could save the world, we'd be living in utopia. We don't act, because we feel, 'What can I possibly do?' If you and I can feel that way, so can a billion other ordinary people. And so you have an entire country quietly watching something nobody likes. We underestimate our own power to create change. We might just be  drops in the ocean, but the ocean is made of drops.

The second wall is TRADITION.
People have spent hours researching the effects of crackers on people and on the environment. There are lots of good reasons to reconsider buying those huge cracker boxes this Deepawali** and I'm guessing that you know most of them. But does science really have an effect on our so-called modern, educated society? 

Too often, I hear the line  'It's tradition to burst crackers, so I'm sorry.' But what is tradition? Who decides that something is tradition? Once upon a time, it was tradition for a widow to jump into her husband's funeral pyre. As I have said in a previous post, some traditions become outdated or downright harmful. When we follow a practice, we must ask why we follow it, whether it is still relevant, and whether it causes any harm.

Deepawali was celebrated with no less grandeur for centuries before fireworks existed. 'Deepawali' means a row of lamps, not a row of explosives! Fireworks weren't even invented here in India. They were invented in China! If a new tradition can be formed after centuries, it can also be discarded.

I don't deny that fireworks can be beautiful. But I stopped bursting them when I learned what they were doing to the environment. It was a sacrifice for me too. 

The third wall is SUPERIORS.

When I'm trying to convince people to make a change, they tell me that they 'don't mind, but can't  do much' because of someone with more authority.  'If you can convince them...' or 'That is not in my power to decide'  are responses that I hear frequently. Children say 'convince my parents' and parents say 'convince my child'! To me, it just seems like no one wants to be unpopular. When a harsh decision needs to be taken, the baton is passed to the  nearest unfortunate passerby.

The fourth wall is STATISTICS and MYTHS.

Statistics are very useful when it comes to understanding the behaviour of a system, but in the hands of the wrong people, they can be used to tell very convincing lies. Look at these two  graphs:*** 

  

House Prices -1

House Prices -2

Both graphs say exactly the same thing, but the first one seems to indicate a threefold increase in house prices! Intentionally or unintentionally, people can use such statistics to give completely wrong information to us. In the meanwhile, we're feeling good about believing only 'statistically proven data'. When this incorrect data tells us what we want to believe or when there are statistics that predict two different things - our confirmation bias kicks in, and we chose to believe only what we think is true. This video by Veritasium on misconceptions about global warming gives brilliant examples of this.

The final wall is IGNORANCE.
We feel good about ourselves when we pick up a paper bag instead of a plastic bag at a mall. But is that really better for the environment? Watch this TED talk by sustainability strategist Leyla Acaroglu to learn more. The only way to keep ourselves from making misinformed choices is to keep learning and questioning.

I conclude with a request. Whenever you make a decision, please think about how it might affect the earth. Think and make decisions that will help make it cleaner and greener. Think, tear down the wall that you're hiding behind and take action. The sooner we tear our walls down, the better it will be for all of us, for the species we share our planet with and for our children.




 *  To learn more about sustainable palm oil and what you can do, visit these links:
               > http://www.worldwildlife.org/pages/which-everyday-products-contain-palm-oil
               > http://www.saynotopalmoil.com/Whats_the_issue.php

** Want to know what crackers do to our health and to the environment? Visit this link:
              > http://indiatogether.org/environment/articles/diwali.htm


***  These sample graphs have been taken from http://faculty.atu.edu/mfinan/2043/section31.pdf