While the nation celebrates and basks in the glory of our historic gold medal win at the Rio Olympics, we should not forget the sufferings of humanity that go unnoticed every day all over the world.
The environmental pollution by industrialised countries that have led to climate change and have caused extreme weather conditions leading to devastating floods in some countries and famine and severe food shortages in others. Wars that have caused strife and misery and displaced millions of disillusioned refugees, many of whom may never return to their countries. The poor, the hungry and the oppressed need to be heard and addressed.
We have a moral obligation and responsibility to look after our planet. We should take a cue from the picture of Earth titled “Pale Blue Dot”.
Pale Blue Dot is the picture of planet Earth taken by the US deep space probe Voyager 1 on Valentine’s Day 1990 from a record distance of 6 billion kilometres. Earth appears a tiny speck of dust against the vastness of space.
Voyager 1 which had completed its primary mission to the outer planets in the solar system and headed for outer space was commanded by NASA to turn its cameras around and take one last picture of Earth against a great expanse of space.
Astronomer and author Carl Sagan proposed the idea of the space probe taking one last picture of Earth. He pointed out that such a picture would not have much scientific value, as the Earth would appear too small for Voyager’s camera to make out any detail, but it could have been meaningful nevertheless as a perspective on our place in the universe.
Astronomers using very powerful telescopes have been searching deep into outer space in search for life, but so far the Earth is the only world known, to harbour life.
There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which man could migrate.
Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our last stand.
It underscores our responsibility to love and deal more kindly with one another, and preserve and cherish the Pale Blue Dot, the only home we’ve ever known.
