Our Distant Relatives

Funny title, isn't it? But we Indians treat our land or earth as Mother. If you consider that relation, all living things in nature are our relatives, some are close, others are distant. The question is do we love and care for our extended family?

Last week, there was an article published about a girl named Julia "Butterfly" Hill. She is an environment activist from America. If you take environment seriously at all, her story would definitely amaze you, wake you, and inspire you. That's what it did for me. Let me tell you the story.

Once upon a time, there was a jungle. Many animals, sects, plants and trees lived there for ages in harmony, then came the evil creatures called humans. They were not so powerful physically, but really intelligent. They used their mind to create their own world. They used the animals for farming and travelling. They cut the trees and made their homes and furniture.

Men kept cutting the jungles, clearing the land, destroying once happy world of jungles. But still, some of the trees survived, for more than 1000 years, unbelievable, though it is.

A company got the contract to clear the remaining jungle, to cut the trees that were out of human hands for more than a millennium. For so long, the tree sheltered many, fed many, helped so many things. But the only use of tree, the company could see was the wood it could provide. 

Not all humans were bad and careless. Some people cared, understood that this is also our family, we must save it, for that's the world will survive. They came forward to protest. They started volunteering to live on tree for some time, so that they could stop the company from cutting the tree. 

But the company was powerful, these people were small. Soon, they were about to run out of their volunteer's list, and then a girl came forward. Her name was Julia. She decided to stay with the tree. She named the tree as Luna. She started loving the tree, and realized that tree also loves her in its own way.

Days passed, and so did weeks and months, and Julia lived there for two years. The company tried everything to fail her, everything failed but not her. She survived through the heavy rains and chilling winters. More people started coming to help her in all ways they could. In the end the company agreed to preserve the tree, and confirmed her victory.

That girl sacrificed two precious years of her life to save a tree. It made me realize, if people like her are doing that much for nature, how little am I contributing for the nature? She inspired me to think upon this, and love the nature more and care for it.

The nature loves us, and that is why it is giving us so much. All the resources we are using are a gift by nature. We must respect it, and love nature back. Not everyone can contribute or sacrifice as much as this brave girl, but let's do our part, let's start with simple and small things.

• Plant trees, participate in tree plantation drives organized by NGOs
• Don't take unnecessary printouts and save paper
• Use your handkerchief instead of paper napkins and save paper
• Don't waste water
• Think more ways, suggest and share

Thanks Julia, for inspiring me to love nature more.

P.S. This post is written as submission to #NaturesFriends contest by http://www.kissan.in/