The Heat Wave - A Reminder to Reflect and Sacrifice!

THE REALITY

Wherever you are in the world right now, chances are you are facing some form of extreme climate condition. All across the Northern Hempisphere mainly, the summer season has led to record-breaking heat waves, wildfires, droughts and blistering conditions.The heat has affected livestock, region crops and power grids in Oklahoma and Texas. Texas residents have faced a heat wave for the past six weeks while Arkansas is under a heat advisory. Across the Atlantic, 140 million Americans prepare for a heat wave.In the United Kingdom, a new record of 104.5 degrees Fahrenheit was observed this last week, while in France, Greece and Spain face wildfires across the southern regions. The heat wave in Portugal killed 659 in the past week. 

While in Italy, glaciers have melted within a week span killing 11 hikers at the Dolomites region, wildfires and a heat wave  in North Africa have devastated the grain harvest.As unpredictable and crazy these events may sound, these aren’t random occurrences. Both the craziness and unpredictable climate changes were warnings given by scientists.Are we willing to listen? 

THE LEARNING LESSONS

Is there time for lessons anymore? The fact of the matter is that what we see playing out in front of us is clearly a result of climate change. "While each heat wave itself is different, and has individual dynamics behind it, the probability of these events is a direct consequence of the warming planet,” Jason Smerdon, a climate scientist for the Columbia Climate School's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in New York, told ABC News.This rise in temperature and unpredictability in climate over time, has been predicted and warned for years.And thus this shouldn’t be a shock when the statistics and data had predicted such extreme occurrences.When we reflect on these terrible situations philosophically, we can take home a few lessons:

1. JUST BECAUSE WE CAN’T SEE IT, DOESN’T MEAN IT CAN’T EXIST

This might sound absurd at first, but to a certain degree maybe we all need to go back into the basics of logic and human rationality.In most philosophical traditions, three forms of knowledge exist. The first in ancient Indian philosophy is called “pratyaksha”  - or let’s call it “see it to believe it.” For example, I know there’s a fire atop a hill because I see the fire and its flames. But what if I didn’t see the fire? There comes the second type of knowledge - in Indian traditions, what is called ‘anumaan’ or inference. Or let’s call it - “if ___, therefore ___.” Following the previous example, if I see smoke on the hill, I know there is or was fire.

Thus, just because we hadn’t experienced the dangerous and extreme climate conditions in the past decade doesn’t mean they weren’t occurring. If we reflected on the terrible conditions, wildfires, heat waves, melting of icecaps occurring in certain parts of the globe including the United States, we would’ve realized the climate change.More than 10% of Americans still don’t believe in climate change. 54% of Americans believe human activity plays a major role in the climate change we experience, while 30% are still unsure. More than 30% of Americans believe the government is doing more than enough to combat climate change. What scientists tell us time and time again is the fact that climate change is not a random phenomenon - the rate of its extremities have certainly increased due to human activity. 

2. WILLINGNESS TO LISTEN TO RELIABLE SOURCES

There is yet another type of knowledge that we must acknowledge in this discussion - in Sanskrit what is called: ‘shabda pramaan,’ or the information from experts in the field. If someone came running down the hill yelling, “There’s a fire up there, don’t go!” One can trust that because it is a reliable source. It is also much more likely to believe if a groups of 100,000 people came running down the hill together yelling about a fire, that builds a high-level of trust in it. To clarify, that trust is NOT merely because there were 100,000 people saying it. The trust is there because they were on top of the hill - reliable witnesses. Thus, many have ignored the fact that more than 90% of climate scientists that humans are the main cause of the impacts of climate change we see today - or the increased rate of climate change and global warming. These are people who have dedicated their lives and studies to the work.If we won’t trust them, then who will we trust?These are the people on the hill. They ran down crying not to go up…and we went up anyway!

3. WILLINGNESS TO TAKE ACTION AND MAKE SACRIFICES

And while knowledge and truly relying on the appropriate means of logic are necessary for all of us, action is equally important if not more. Even in spiritual progress and human development, philosophical scriptures and sages speak of the same.

That’s because it’s probably the most fundamental truth for all human-beings. We have the power to act consciously and with intellectual conviction. Using our intellect is just half of the job. The other half requires acting upon it.The Bhagavad Gita clearly states that  “not by merely abstaining from work, can one attain freedom from reactions…” Of course, this may be in the context of a battlefield and spirituality. But this also pertains to the battlefield of nature and climate change today! The reactions of climate change that we see today in our environments and habitats are becoming more and more obvious. But there is no freedom from these reactions unless and until we are willing to take action.And more importantly, we must be willing to make sacrifices. Sacrifice what? Our comforts. Whether that is using alternative sources of energy or restraining from excessive usage of items and tools that release excessive amounts of greenhouse gasses, sacrifices must be made. 

Think about the story of Nachiketa from the Katho Upanishad, an ancient spiritual text from India. The story’s beginning is all we need - a young boy, Nachiketa, notices his father, a renowned yogi, making a ritualistic sacrifice. But the boy realizes that his father is only sacrificing the items he needs least or the weakest things in his life - and thus, the sacrifice will not bear the fruits his father wishes. Thus, he speaks out and it leads to a whole journey of spiritual awakening and wisdom…But the point here is the same - we can’t expect change unless and until we are willing to make substantial sacrifices.With clarity of thought and knowledge, firmness and conviction in the truth about our human-induced climate change and the effects we see today and ultimately the willingness to make and support changes in our lifestyle, we can make a strong fight together.Let’s reflect and action…because we certainly feel the heat around the corner!