There are two vigorously debated and widely accepted approaches to look at anything – Spiritual Philosophical and Scientific Rational. Both have their own theories of Human evolution, not necessarily contradicting in every element but on some different levels altogether, for sure. However diverse their schools might seem, both allegedly seem to agree on the fact that when it all started, all humans were equal as far as their physical set of conditions are concerned. We cannot say societal as it was long ago before a Society is formed by the humans; there were only groups and troops to begin with, in the hunters and gatherers stage. Nor can we deliberate on intellectual or economical aspect as then Human Intellect was restricted to basic instincts just like other animals and humans were yet to discover a magic called currency which in the long run changed the entire game and left humans with insatiable desires.
The insecurity of the unpredictable natural phenomenon in wild gave birth to the concept of Superpower or Deity to find a solace in hard times with extremely adverse circumstances while the need of fair exchange of commodities explains the dawn of currency. However, in its evolution phase, the currency that entered the scenario as a convenient mode of exchange soon started to become the commodity itself that could be bought and stored for future utilization. This interesting reversal of the famous English saying, ‘The ends justify the means’ transformed the ‘fair’ exchange into a ‘Smart’ trade wherein smart sellers started selling what they wanted to sell and not what was the sheer need of the society at large. Being a ‘Smart’ trade, it even made the people believe that this would bring ‘development’, a magic key that has all the solution to world problems right from poverty to disparity!
‘Land’ being the most powerful weapon of mass control (if not destruction!), the smarter ones made it a point to grab as much as land possible by any means they can employ to achieve their objectives. To make it a socially workable and legally acceptable model, they developed Markets, Corporations, and formed Organizations and Governments so that no weak and deprived section of society would have any opportunity to think against it, let alone oppose or revolt. ‘Green is the color of development and Green is the Power on this planet’ was the motto behind all this development, of course with a presumption that nobody would ever question ‘Which Green…?’ Playing the real diplomats that they were, they told the masses to go to hell in such a way that the society actually looked forward to the trip!
However as Abraham Lincoln put it rightly, ‘You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time…’, eventually around the millennium years, thought leaders and ecology researchers realized that it was already high time this conspiracy in the name of development should be countered, questioned and probed into for a common good and sustainable development in its truest sense. Initially some Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were resolved by the world leaders that were recently transformed into Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with a major focus on eradicating hunger and extreme poverty, promoting education and gender equality, reducing child mortality and improve maternal health.
The area of Environmental Sustainability also found the place in the list of SDGs and if looked at it in a holistic and a little philosophical perspective, the situations that are addressed are the result of injustice from one element to other(s) in the society in one form or other. What the awaken world now demanding is the justice and neither the favor nor the philanthropy. The bottom-line of this new-age realization is ‘If you are doing well, it’s great, our compliments. But you must not forget that many elements have paid (and are paying) the price for your elite status and you must return the favor by shifting the focus from profit maximization to social business.’ Period…!
