In MedSchool we learnt about the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, or HIV.
The reason why it is unbeatable is because it mutates - constantly and rapidly. By the time our body figures out how to destroy it, it changes form. It outsmarts our body and our resources, and continues to multiply and take over. It uses the body's mechanisms to grow and spread. Eventually our body has nothing more to give, and the virus makes us so weak, that even the most trivial illness, proves fatal.
Essentially, every living system has a defence mechanism to protect it from such invasion. In our body, that is the Immune System. HIV attacks our immune system and renders it ineffective.
Now consider the human race and the Earth. The world existed much before us. An equilibrium state evolved, and it was sustainable. Then we came along. Too many of us, came along. We dug holes into the ground and played with the delicate balance that took billions of years to build.
The Earth's natural defence mechanisms came into place, but we beat them. We burnt fossil fuels. The Earth gave us Climate change. We fought back with Air conditioners and central heating. The Earth responded with polluted air. We made air purifiers and masks. Pollution lead to new diseases. We came up with newer medicines, so more people survived. Our population grew exponentially. The Earth responded with shortage of food. So we cut down forests to make farms. Shortage of water? We made dams. You see where this is going.
Any attempt made by nature to restore balance, and revert to a sustainable system, was met by resistance on our part. All this while, coming up with newer, more complex ways to beat problems that we created in the first place. And in the process, creating more problems.
In medicine we refer to this as symptomatic treatment, without treating the underlying disease. Sometimes making it worse by our actions.
This blog is about presenting an alternative perspective. Changing the way we see the world, and the way we see ourselves.
Instead of making things more complex, let's simplify, for just one moment.
The reason why it is unbeatable is because it mutates - constantly and rapidly. By the time our body figures out how to destroy it, it changes form. It outsmarts our body and our resources, and continues to multiply and take over. It uses the body's mechanisms to grow and spread. Eventually our body has nothing more to give, and the virus makes us so weak, that even the most trivial illness, proves fatal.
Essentially, every living system has a defence mechanism to protect it from such invasion. In our body, that is the Immune System. HIV attacks our immune system and renders it ineffective.
Now consider the human race and the Earth. The world existed much before us. An equilibrium state evolved, and it was sustainable. Then we came along. Too many of us, came along. We dug holes into the ground and played with the delicate balance that took billions of years to build.
The Earth's natural defence mechanisms came into place, but we beat them. We burnt fossil fuels. The Earth gave us Climate change. We fought back with Air conditioners and central heating. The Earth responded with polluted air. We made air purifiers and masks. Pollution lead to new diseases. We came up with newer medicines, so more people survived. Our population grew exponentially. The Earth responded with shortage of food. So we cut down forests to make farms. Shortage of water? We made dams. You see where this is going.
Any attempt made by nature to restore balance, and revert to a sustainable system, was met by resistance on our part. All this while, coming up with newer, more complex ways to beat problems that we created in the first place. And in the process, creating more problems.
In medicine we refer to this as symptomatic treatment, without treating the underlying disease. Sometimes making it worse by our actions.
This blog is about presenting an alternative perspective. Changing the way we see the world, and the way we see ourselves.
Instead of making things more complex, let's simplify, for just one moment.
