Every year on the last Saturday of March, Earth Hour is observed from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm when we are supposed to refrain from using any electrical or electronic appliance so as to conserve energy. Somehow, we could not manage the 8:30 pm timeline and got delayed by a few minutes. What I thought important was observing the Earth Hour, though late, rather than not at all.
So here we were. All electrical and electronic appliances and gadgets were switched off. One hour of complete independence from all those technological advances to which we have unknowingly become dutiful slaves. One hour completely to ourselves. No TVs blaring. No screaming mixers. No deafeningly loud music. Just complete silence. We are so used to doing something all the time rather than just being that such an experience is bound to make you introspective. It is the same as electricity failure but somehow very different because you know that once you break your resolve, it is very easy to switch on that TV and laptop.
I moved a chair and parked myself in the balcony as the living room had become uncomfortably warm. Much to my disappointment, I noticed that not a single other household from our society had taken the effort to participate in this event. Everyone was busy following their routine. I wonder how many of them were actually aware that such an event is to be observed and how many of them simply ignored the reminders, asserting that they were above such moral duties.
A thought that comes to my mind here is that whether the local government administration body should force everyone to abide by simply cutting off the electricity supply. That would be the easiest way to ensure 100 percent participation. But then why do we always need someone to police us and tell us what to do and what not to do? Isn’t it every person’s moral responsibility to do his or her bit for Earth? And cutting off electricity is not the solution. If you absolutely need to attend to some critical business, you must. My complaint is against people who can do without the use of electricity for an hour and still fail to contribute. Is it really so difficult to change your routine for an hour for just a single day in a year?
Another thought. Why observe the Earth Hour for only one hour once a year? What about the other 364 days when we so unthinkingly waste our resources like electricity, water, paper, etc? How is this one hour going to undo all that damage? It is like ruthlessly abusing and torturing a person 364 days of the year and then shamelessly reserving one hour once a year to apply medication and ask for forgiveness. Sounds pretty ridiculous to me. Wouldn’t it be more fruitful if we proactively, regularly make it a point to conserve our resources? Switching off lights and fans when not in use, switching off the idiot box just a few minutes earlier rather than blindly surfing channels, switching off computer monitor screens when not needed, are just a few examples. There are really so many ways in which we can do our bit for Earth just by inculcating a few habits in our daily routines. Mother Earth would definitely be happier if we were more thoughtful of nature’s gifts to us throughout the year instead of waiting for the last Saturday of March. Nowadays, people are slowly becoming aware of the scarcity of natural resources and the need to conserve them. Efforts are being taken regularly to spread this message via mass media. However, it is totally up to every single individual to consider these warnings seriously and do their bit, while it is still not too late to start today. It is our unfortunate habit to take Mother Earth and her gifts to us for granted. If this continues, the day of total and permanent darkness isn’t too far away!
This is the season of cricket. We are very much looking forward to a very thrilling match between India and her neighbour. This historic match promises to be nothing short of a war. Come to think of it, would we be willing to spare even a single moment for observing the Earth Hour if this exciting match were to be in progress at that time? Definitely food for thought!
