Nature's Fury Unleashed By Human Greed

“Some say the world will end in fire
some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice."

- Robert Frost

I tell you the truth; it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the heaven.
Greed, envy, sloth, pride and gluttony: these are not vices anymore. No, these are marketing tools. Lust is our way of life. Envy is just a nudge towards another sale. Even in our relationships we consume each other, each of us looking for what we can get out of the other. Our appetites are often satisfied at the expense of those around us. In a dog-eat-dog world we lose part of our humanity.

“There is no fire like passion, there is no shark like hatred, there is no snare like folly, there is no torrent like greed.”―Gautama Buddha

It seems, we humans, do not learn from our mistakes, nor do we seem to want to. A by-product of this incurable disease is in the fact, greed. Greed is a problem; and if we were to eliminate problems, no solutions would be needed. This is when human life would cease to exist because I believe we are here for a reason, to solve problems. In our Modern History, we have seen numerous calamities- the largest of them being the effects of the two World Wars. The devastations caused were immeasurable. There is no doubt that these were only the results of Man’s Greed. Man’s greed for materialistic pleasures has resulted in numerous such wars, invasions and destruction.

The poem “Nothing gold can stay” by Robert Frost cleverly explains nature’s downfall due to gold, in the world. The author begins by showing that nature’s true color is green, however, due to man’s greed they only see gold.On the last line the author says, “Nothing gold can stay”, because mans inability to let go of greed is destroying our planet.Lastly the author uses a metaphor comparing green to gold by saying “Natures first green is gold”, explaining that green is the symbol of life and prosperity.

Even though, the Nature has created such events, the extent of Disasters has been primarily due to Man’s Greed. For example, when a man develops a residential colony in an erstwhile lake or water body then even seasonal rain results in flooding. This coupled with electrifications and poor building materials, results in a few deaths every monsoon. When such is the result of a seasonal monsoon, the effect of damage due to large calamities becomes insurmountable. If man leads a life in line with nature, the damages can at least be reduced.

The sun, the moon and the stars would have disappeared long ago.. had they happened to be in the reach of the predatory human hands.Man is an integral part of the environment, yet he is the arch-enemy of it.There have been various instances when nature has given an answer to its destroyer.

Let’s take the case of Uttrakhand floods.Due to the cloudburst, the reports started from the death of eighteen and now it has reached to a point when 5,700 people from eighteen states have been “presumed dead”. 608 villages, covering a population of 7 lakhs, in 23 districts of Uttar Pradesh were affected by the flood and as of 11July2013more than 120 deaths were reported from the state. The 2004 Indian ocean earthquake was one of the worst ten earthquakes recorded in the world history. According to US Geological Survey, around 227, 898 people died. The earthquake had hit as many as fifteen countries measuring major life loss. In early October 2013, a severe cyclonic storm, Phailin hit the state of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. The cyclone has prompted India's biggest evacuation in 23 years with more than 550,000 people moved up from the coastline in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh to safer places.

The agents of production are then Nature’s forces, and Man’s force; man’s force being generally most efficient when it is so applied as to control and direct nature’s forces, rather than to counteract them.And the wealth of a country depends upon the manner in which nature’s forces and man’s force work together in the production of wealth. To the humans, nature presented itself as a wealth of raw materials waiting to be exploited.Through the application of human labor, these natural resources could be transformed into social products, valuable commodities to be distributed to the whole of society.The gifts of Nature to man are firstly materials such as iron, stone, wood, etc., and secondly, forces such as the power of the wind, and the heat of the sun, the source whence all other powers are derived. Nature’s fury is the cause of man’s greed and not god’s wrath. That’s where I end.

Is it nature's fury, that's so gory,

For the loss of all its glory?

A result of man's unending greed?

Many were taken away from their kin,

By watery serpents devoid of any sin.

What is this, man's greed?

Isn't it a dreadful deed?