When this whole study leave thing began, I told Antu and Sonu that I would try not to blog until the prelims were over. To that Sonu said, "you'd probably spend more time agonizing over not blogging than the time it would take you to blog."
And so I had to test out this theory and... it's been ten days! I think that might be a record for Compelle Intrare and well honestly... I actually haven't "agonized" over not blogging. Sure, sometimes when my mind wanders, possible blog posts sort of float around in my brain and it would have been especially nice to have come over here last night and vent about the horrible feeling of coming home tired and sleepy after your second exam (a bad one at that!) in a row only to get ready for the third one in a row. Ugh. Horrible feeling.
Anyway, right now I can't remember a single one of those things that I wanted to blog about (and the prelims aren't over btw but I have five days off!) but there is one thing that I've been thinking about (and being kinda sad about...) and I figured I haven't had one of my "save the environment" blog posts in a while so bear with me while I roar a little...
Well basically, here's a fact that they're flashing around everywhere in, I guess, what is one last desperate measure to save our national animal. The tiger. There's only 1411 left in India.
Anyway, I don't really know what we can do. Honestly. It's not like Global Warming where the problem is huge but there are still tiny steps (use public transport, switch off the lights when you're not using them, etc...) that you can take as an individual in your everyday life and somehow, it counts. But I guess it's just something to think about. 1411.
If we keep going at this rate, by the time I have grandkids the national animal of India will be the stray dog and the national bird - the black crow.
Just think about it.
Child
What will you live to do?
What have I left for you?
What will we leave behind?
-- Brooke Fraser (Seeds)
13 comments:
Hey I'm in total agreement. Have you ever read (I absolutely HATE when people advise me to read things, because usually it's some totally bogus book on Christianity, but I'll bend my own rule here) Ishmael by Daniel Quinn or Lost Horizon by James Hilton?--absolutely my favorite written work.
It was 1411 in 2008. That tiny little postscript like thing at the end of the ad says that the survey was done in 2008. It shouldn't be a PS but it is.
So this means that there are infinitely less than 1411 tigers now. in 2010. I don't really know what else to say, that kind of speaks for itself, doesn't it?
Oooor since 2008, the steps have worked and tigers mated extra. Least likely but still, a string to hang onto.
Pssst, the second picture is beautiful no?
@Ajay: Nope, haven't read those books but will look out for them. Thanks for the recommend!
@Sharan: Really? I did not know that! That's scary! :( Like even more scary!
@Ryan: I like your optimism! I hope you're right, really.
And yes, that picture is AWESOME! I actually stole it from your blog... ;) I remember seeing it a while back and so I hunted it down... and stole it! :) Thanks! :)
Tbh, I stole the background from somewhere. Only the text is mine.
I don't mean to be rude, but there is a difference between delusion and optimism. In such cases, although I don't WANT to believe facts, I'd rather believe them because hopefully I'd be more prompted -- I and several other hundreds -- to DO something about it. But if I'm going to be content and say "oh, actually, everything's alright" when it's not, nothing WILL be done anyway.
I know Sharan. But I'm not not believing the facts. I'm not deluded about the facts. Optimism here is holding on to that last shred of hope that well, there is hope. Still.
But yeah, I know that is not enough and I guess these stupid things do have that scary effect of making us think that that is enough and we don't end up doing anything about it.
In this case, what DO you do? I'm not saying that we can't do anything but I am genuinely at a loss. What does one do?
"well there is hope" and then what? It's just a way to reassure yourself that everything will work out. It makes YOU feel good, and stop worrying, nothing else. But the problem remains. The fact that there are probably around 800 tigers now -- isn't THAT scary? We're down to a 3 digit number. Enough to keep me up at night. And then what? What have I REALLY done? Nothing to be optimistic about, anyway. I haven't earned that right.
But it's exactly like you said, people can't really physically do anything, apart from signing forms unless they're involved at the core. We could, also, like you said, do SOMETHING -- probably physically take action. Like, go out there, and inform the Gov to do something. or talk to the wild life authorities in the major forests. Do stuff that makes a difference, a REAL difference. The question is really, can we afford to? How much do we really care about this stuff? Enough to quit everything and go out there? Take that nonsense that's happening in Uganda. Killing of the homosexuals. I was SO frustrated. But then what? What COULD I do apart from signing petitions and leaving notes on my blog? Even after that, the priests and Gov there is intent on killing them. They've raised 2 million votes, or some such huge number. But nothing. They need a donation now. How many causes will i donate to?
Sure, like you've said in your newest post, I could spread awareness. ANd then what? Nothing. Nothing. I am as much at a loss, as you are.
I'm sorry if I sounded brutal; that was not my intention at all. I was just reminded of something that J told me once -- she said that worrying is good. And not about things like exams or admissions -- even those, sure, but otherwise, about the bigger things. Worrying -- to the point that you are induced to doing something, and this is not cynicism, it's just facing upto the facts and not giving in to optimism -- will make you do things. It's really thinking hard and caring. Once you are optimistic, you're COMFORTABLE. Which is the scariest thing about it all, because if you're optimistic about something without having done anything, nothing is ever going to happen. You might as well believe that. For eg, on a simple level, if I wanted to study abroad. And my deadline is a couple of months away sure, but I haven't done anything. Like NOTHING. And I keep talking about how awesome it's going to be there and how optimistic I am about the future.The worst part is, I am building these fantasies and being optimistic about my life there even though I have taken ZERo action. it's all talk. But I am optimistic. This kind of optimism is dangerous. because it gets you nowhere. On the other hand, if you are worried enough and cautious about counting your chickens before they hatch, you will take SOME initiative. you will DO something. It's stupid to be optimistic/cynical AFTER your application has gone off -- then you have nothing to lose by hoping. But till then, you don't have that right. it's going to blind you from your task/responsibilites ahead. And that is exactly what is happening with the Tigers. We've signed the petition, true. But let's please realize that it is nothing grand. Nothing to be optimistic about, anyway. It's like you've asked in your previous post -- how does it ACTUALLy help?
Like you say, yea there are probably only 800 of them left now. Thinking on the same lines, if 1411 didn't help, how would 800?
The thing is, you don't do anything by signing petitions and shouting about it. This is just so that we show our support to the ones who actually do something, or so that others who CAN do something get to know. It's the least we could do now, and it is much more than just asking how it would help.
I'm not saying it won't help at all. I wouldn't have signed it myself otherwise. It's just that it's nothing to celebrate. Blogging about it, or signing petitions can only take you so far. This post will be just another post. I'm hoping that website stays active a year down the line, because you can never do enough for wildlife protection -- WHATEVER it is that is being done.
If 1411 didn't help what? Who? I don't know about you, but knowing that the situation is getting worse, and that they are BORDERING on extinction (Maybe it's not 800. Maybe it's 300. Maybe it's 1000) and the survey was done in 2008 (which seriously no one seems to be considering -- we have data that is 2 years old. Does that not mean anything to you? Can you imagine what the situation would be like right now?) is what troubles me to no end. Knowing that the problem doesn't end with "oh, there are 1411 tigers left boo hoo" and that it is in fact "There were 1411 2 years ago, has the problem been solved? What now?" which makes you sit up and realize that THIS IS NOT OVER, there is nothing to hope for UNLESS you do something tangible, is what thinking about the fact that there are CONTINUALLY less tigers will help. And it has. I read in the papers today morning that a woman quit her job as a lawyer and is roaming in the forests (Kanha?) educating the locals about tigers and speaking to the authorities. The 1411 thing prompted her to do it. But she's DOING something.She isn't doing NOTHING and saying, like all of us, "Oh, there's at least a string to hang on to." Where is the string unless you make it?
"If we keep going at this rate, by the time I have grandkids the national animal of India will be the stray dog and the national bird - the black crow."
that made me chuckle. a lot! i missed you :) xx
I'm pretty sure, I'm not in a position to DO anything like you've mentioned, and I'm pretty sure I can't abandon what I'm doing right now to DO anything either.
Nobody said "Ok there are 1411, let's wait for it to drop to 800 or so, then let's go to the forest and teach the locals." Propanganda spread so late that it is possible that only now, people like her, start doing something.
I want more tigers. Plus I can't do anything now. So if there is a chance that people like her create strings, I'd always want a bigger string.
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