Should we vote in the election or boycott the election?

 

Should we vote in the election or boycott the election?

The reason for writing this blog is mainly based on how the recent Assembly Election of Tamil Nadu held last week and the campaign of all the political parties for more than a month before election. Secondly, a full page content in today’s Tamil daily DINAMALR , I found many people shared their opinions on ‘why they didn’t vote in this election’.

My views are based on a different perspective and not on the political parties, their policies, election manifest or contestant’s background check, whether they bribe the voters or not and any other philosophical ideas or linking to any religion and not even on my own personal opinions.

In the Mahabharath, Lord Krishna describes in 8.49.49 that nahi sarvam vidhiyate, there is not a rule for everything. So scriptures give us broad guide lines for how we need to act in lives but every individual has his own circumstances, his own psychophgysical nature. Accordingly every individual will have to act, taking into consideration his or her nature and circumstances. So there cannot be any standard legislative sort of answer for the question of whether one should vote or not.

According to chapter 5 of the Bhagavad Gita, it recommends karma yoga, stating that anyone who is a dedicated karma yogi neither hates nor desires, and therefore such as person is the "eternal renouncer".

Let us not blame the party candidates bribing the people with material things for their winning vote.  We too experienced the cash offer from two opposite parties, as both the party workers are my best friends! But with folded hands we excused ourselves in accepting their offer and with a bright smile they left by reminding us to vote for their contestant!

You may not be excited about any of the candidates on the ballot. You may believe that none of them exemplify dharmic values. You may be right. But guess what? One of them is going to win. So you should ask yourself, ‘which candidate will do the least harm, be the least dishonest, and move society in a more dharmic direction?’ You may think that it doesn’t matter which candidate wins because your life won’t change either way. But voting is not just about me and it’s more than just a civic duty: voting is a service.  Service is an integral part of our eternal nature: everything we do is a service to someone or something. There is no question of serving or not serving, only of how we serve. On Election Day, A yogi serves by defending dharma, by taking a stand for simplicity, virtue, generosity, and truthfulness. Our local polling station is the battlefield and a ballot is our weapon. On Election Day, yogis are called upon to fight for the welfare of all living beings.

Anyone can put any number of reasons for NOT VOTING but there is only one reason to VOTE. 

Yes , I voted in this election of my choice, respecting the social responsibility, a civic duty and a service. Hope the eligible voters may know that, without boycotting the voting, they can use the provision in the voting machine to vote for NOTA (None Of The Above) to indicate disapproval of the candidates in the voting system! Even then one has to win and other one to lose, because the fundamental duality is inevitable. Everywhere life abounds in dualities – good and bad, pleasure and pain, joy and sorrow, life and death, praise and blame, honor and dishonor, love and hate and we cannot escape from the cycle of duality.

 

My Personal Experiences on Environmental Impact of COVID-19

 My Personal Experiences on Environmental Impact of COVID-19

In the wake of pandemic, a virus, we call it COVID-19, jumped from animal to human being. I never expected any serious impact of the new pandemic on the environment, in the beginning.  As the situation prevailed from days to weeks and continued  to months, going on and on, extended to more than seven months, then I started realizing the veracity of changes in the environment for good and as well not good.

The prolonged stay inside our home, keep us engaged in doing physical exercise in the terrace and surprised to see a clear, smokeless sky and breathed easily.  I heard them first, I mean the pigeons, before they rose above the tree tops and sat on the buildings. Domestic chores has been increased, but I felt that it was for good health and the whole family joined to tackle the situation.

As we stopped going out for purchases, I saw the impact of less plastic covers accumulating in our waste disposal container and for sure it is good for the environment. The super markets were closed and no hospitality establishments functioning. So there is no bulk purchase and storing of vegetables in the refrigerators and we ate fresh vegetables brought to our doorsteps by the small vendors. Buying from them increased their livelihood. Air conditioners were not in use, as advised by the regulations and so the heat exposure from the climate control equipment was almost nil. But usage of consumer electronics, like mobiles and laptops has been considerably increased due to online classes for students and watching entertainments by elders locked inside the house!

Within our family and from different media, we came to know that there was decrease in Industrial activities resulting loss of jobs. But there were lesser road traffic and reduced industrial and transport emissions and effluents. There may be increase in energy consumption in the house, but a considerable decrease in the industrial house.

In villages, environmental changes due the unpolluted air and water, the soil become more fertile and there was increase in farm production like vegetables, fruits and others. But lesser sales forced the farmers to dump the surplus goods in the farm itself and incurred loss. This dumping increased the micro-organisms and the cycle repeats.  

Trees store carbon dioxide, one of the primary greenhouse gases contributing the warming of the planet and climate change. The impact of COVID-19 prevented human intervention in deforestation and the nature took its own course of afforestation.

 The arrest of complete diesel driven train movement and automobiles of small and heavy, stopped polluting the air, a benefit for all living beings. The stoppage of air traffic for many months saved costly liquid energy consumption. Ozone layer has been found to have revived to some extent.

Though there was a dip in tourism impacting the economy, pollution caused by tourist, empty plastic water bottles and other containers thrown in the tourist spots becomes zero. The pollution level in tourist spots such as forests, sea beaches, hill areas, etc. is also shrinking largely.

We could see the rivers flowing in crystal clear and conducive to survival of aquatic life. Reduction in animal slaughtering results the life of livestock blooming.

Ecosystems are being greatly recovered and witnessed environmental changes by all of us. The original seasons we lost to witness, year by year, may revive.

More and more awareness campaigns on the COVID – 19 by government bodies, NGOs’ and common public in all media opened the eyes of the people to look into the environment seriously for the future, as still a vaccine of remedy is not found yet.

As the novel coronavirus continues its rampage, scientists have warned that the threat posed by new bacteria and viruses cannot be taken lightly anymore. Climate change, they say, is likely to throw up more such unpleasant surprises and severely overwhelm our ability to respond to and manage disasters such as flood, draught, and other extreme events.

To conclude  my personal experiences on environmental impact due to COVID-19, certainly an enriched health in the lives of human body, mind and soul. I had never been to a doctor for the last six plus months for any ailment. In the cases of others also I have seen the same, except people with symptoms of corona. Overall enhancement has been seen geologically, botanically and zoologically but resulted in global socio-economic losses.