However, they didn't find the idea very impressive and since I had pledged my support for Earth Hour, I simply choose to walk the lanes and by lanes of my locality for an hour. Given the hot and humid weather of Chennai, I only came back tired and wet with sweat, while my folks were enjoying the IPL in an air-conditioned room. It didn't do much good to the cause, but it was a classic case of the phrase "Suit Yourself". Looking at my folks it occurred to me that indeed Ignorance is such a bliss.
And then there are other faction of Anti-Earth hour activists who believe that turning off the lights for an hour does not really help save the earth in any way and that this is just way of misleading the mass and gaining beneficial mileage out of the whole event, may it be commercial, political, religious or other wise.
They seem to believe that Earth Hour is a way of reducing the emissions, saving the energy, reducing the Carbon Footprints and stuff such. There is certain group of Anti Earth hour activists who believe that turning off lights and appliances is an indication of the dark ages when there was no technology and people participating during the Earth Hour will be only demeaning the advancements in the technology. This would mean not appreciating the efforts and sacrifices made by the people for the last couple of centuries who have strived to make our lives easier and comfortable. This would also mean taking the human achievement for granted.
I nod to their arguments. Before we had electricity and electric light we had more pollution, in the sense that the street lights and home lights were lit with gas flames, coal or wood. The smoke from these did cause certain lung diseases in small children. Electricity has made us get rid of this, so why turn off the electricity during the Earth Hour? Well, Why would I not want to agree to this?
During the course of technological progress, we have advanced from straw, wood, coal, oil, gas and nuclear. Each of these is cleaner than its predecessor. And in the process we have reduced the amount of emissions and in fact reduced the rate of pollution of the environment.
There are some more people who argue that during the darkness, people might want to use Candles or Paraffin lamps which are again a by-product of fossil fuels, usually Kerosene. Burning it will only pump in more carbon dioxide into the environment. Others, have an interesting theory too. Some people plan to participate in the Earth Hour by turning off all the appliances in their houses and plan for a getaway or a picnic. The picnic basket isn't what it looks like, meaning, the food and drink that is packed takes energy, machinery, manpower and transportation. All these activities by themselves have burnt up fuel and emit the very same CO2 that we are trying to reduce during the Earth Hour. The drive to and from the picnic spot will burn up another tank of fuel. So we have a picnic basket full of carbon footprint. One asks, how does that measure in comparison to staying at home being hooked to Facebook or Twitter or may be watching a favorite program on television in the Air-conditioned room?
Some people also tend to have apprehensions about how Earth Hour will make any impact on the climate, on the people's lives, on their behavior or on the policies of the government. Some believe that Earth Hour will not bring about any change in the climate or the environment and refuse to believe the statistics of the environmentalists and also refuse that the climate change is man-made.
I agree to disagree and beg to differ from the whole lot of people who are Anti-Earth hour. I would like to look at the Earth Hour from a different perspective. For me Earth Hour is a "A Hope for a Cause", if not the “Cause” in itself. What I strive to achieve by participating in the Earth Hour is the spread of awareness. Whether the climate is changing or not, whether the environment is being polluted or not, whether our planet earth is being degraded with harmful substances or not, I like to believe that this cause will at least make people understand how important the climate, environment and our planet earth is and may help them make responsible decisions. It might at the least help them try and find alternative choices if any available, rather than choosing the traditional options. I don't believe that this is going to change the face of the earth entirely, but I believe that it may stop the disfiguration of it. What is done cannot be undone, but what can be done sure needs to be done!
Earth hour does not stop the climate change, neither does it stop the carbon footprints in the environment. It will not help reduce the pollution or emission. But what it does is make people realize the hazards of these harmful processes and how it may affect the future of earth. What it does is educate people. What it does is help people make cautious and responsible decisions.
When you participate in the Earth Hour, it is not necessary that you light candles or use paraffin lamps. Earth Hour does not call for the use of such things. There are alternatives. Take a walk around the neighborhood, if you can. Sit in silence and meditate. Good for your body and soul. Why go for a picnic or a getaway, get together in your front yard or in your apartment building compound and chit chat your time away. There are a lot of alternatives to while your time during the Earth Hour. Why so much hullabaloo over this aspect of Earth Hour?
Earth Hour is a means to show the world that you care about our planet. It is a means to show that you are willing to make this world a better place to live in. It is a means to tell the people to be wise in making choices which might other wise cause pollution resulting in climatic hazard. What is wrong in doing this by being part of such a cause, I ask. For people who do not wish to agree to the fact that one of the reasons for the climate change is man-made, it is fine. Just ensure that it never is man-made. Be responsible. This is the least you can do.
For the believers in Earth Hour, you can make it an Earth Day, Earth Week, Earth Month and even an Earth Year. Suit Yourself if you wish to. There are plenty of ways.
At last it is the choice every one of us makes. We can very well choose to be as ignorant on this issue as we might want to be and be in an eternal bliss lasting our lifetime. Knowledge sometimes hurts and some people avoid it by staying away from it. Ain't wrong at all. Not at all.
I would like to quote a couple of paragraphs from Thomas Gray's poem "Ode on a distant prospect of Eton College". Though the context of this poem is entirely different, these excerpts just suit the theme of this idea.
Alas, regardless of their doom,
The little victims play!
No sense have they of ills to come,
Nor care beyond today:
Yet see how all around 'em wait
The ministers of human fate,
And black Misfortune's baleful train!
Ah, show them where in ambush stand
To seize their prey the murderous band!
Ah, tell them, they are men!
The little victims play!
No sense have they of ills to come,
Nor care beyond today:
Yet see how all around 'em wait
The ministers of human fate,
And black Misfortune's baleful train!
Ah, show them where in ambush stand
To seize their prey the murderous band!
Ah, tell them, they are men!
To each his sufferings: all are men,
Condemned alike to groan;
The tender for another's pain,
The unfeeling for his own.
Yet ah! why should they know their fate?
Since sorrow never comes too late,
And happiness too swiftly flies.
Thought would destroy their paradise.
No more; where ignorance is bliss,
'Tis folly to be wise.
Condemned alike to groan;
The tender for another's pain,
The unfeeling for his own.
Yet ah! why should they know their fate?
Since sorrow never comes too late,
And happiness too swiftly flies.
Thought would destroy their paradise.
No more; where ignorance is bliss,
'Tis folly to be wise.
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