Gratitude-II (Contd)

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The major threats to the earth's environment today come from the destruction of forests and other habitats; the global warming due to emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases; the unending production of household garbage and toxic industrial waste which cannot be recycled; the release of chlorofluorocarbons into the atmosphere, resulting in the depletion of the ozone layer that protects living things from dangerous ultraviolet rays; and the chopping down of forests, overgrazing of grasslands, and over-ploughing of croplands in a desperate effort to feed the ever-increasing population.

All the aforesaid are sad reminders of the fact that humankind in general has lost the reverence for life and its handmaiden, Nature. When ingratitude and selfishness go hand in hand, there is cause for real alarm. A few voices of concern about the rape of the environment and Nature are being heard and positive steps to stem the tide are being taken in some parts of the world but so far, at least, they have been fighting a losing battle.

Our ingratitude to the Reality beyond Nature is equally appalling. Everything comes to us from God. We ourselves have come from Him. We owe Him our very existence. Our gratitude to Him should be the greatest. And how is this gratitude to be expressed? By leading an ideal life, the kind of life He wants us to lead. He has given every one of us a 'mobile home' the body. We must take good care of it, and use it for an all-round welfare, our own and others'. He has given us speech not to indulge in falsehood and slander, but to uphold truth and virtue.

God has given every one of us a mind, not to make it a breeding ground for hatred, jealousy, envy, anger, lust, and greed, but to be a power-house of love, justice, selflessness, and self-control. The mind was given to us not to think vague, useless or destructive thoughts, but to cultivate noble, elevating and positive thoughts. God has given every one of us an intellect not to cheat our fellowmen or to invent weapons of mass-destruction, but to probe the mystery of life, internal and external, so that we may find our way to the Freedom Absolute. Let every faculty God has given us be used to glorify God and His creation. One who does it well is a truly grateful child of God, not he who mumbles thanksgiving prayers five times a day but lives an ungodly life.