Monday, June 5, 2017

Development

Once in a nature camp, I spoke on the tendency to abuse water as a resource. Drinking water was going to get scarce, due to destruction of water sources by indiscriminate development. A bright boy pointed, ‘With technological developments, one day it will be possible to treat sea water and convert into drinking water’. He felt that it was possible to find new solutions to problems created by development.

After appreciating the lad for his intelligent intervention, I said, ‘The Jaipur foot is an important technological development for those who lose their limbs. But would it be correct to amputate our healthy limbs just because we have a remedy? Does it make sense to scout solutions for problems we insist on creating?’


Development is a connotation that means different things to different people. It can be as personal as our self-centredness or as global as wider concerns. It can be conditioned by immediate needs or liberated by a desire to leave a legacy. It should be a corollary to the advancement of humanity. It can be about a better future not just for us but for the generations to come.

Embracing fundamentals based on a vision of equity, justice and self-reliance, for the entire humankind, should be the priority. Development cannot be walking the path to the future whilst destroying the present. And most importantly, it is about having the courage to leave the wrong road and walk only the one which benefits all the people and the environment around, not just of today, but of tomorrow as well.

Creating problems and finding solutions is a recipe for erosion…
Development is when our Earth is nurtured for future generations!


~ Pravin Sabnis

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