Fracking Away Our Future
By Arun Gandhi
Earlier this month (January 2013), I spent a day with Yoko Ono, her son Sean Lennon and Susan Sarandon inspecting the effects of hydro-fracking on environment, ecology and the natural resources of Pennsylvania. I did not need to be a rocket scientist to see the devastation caused to the environment – swaths of forest lands cleared up to erect rigs, sheds and space for monstrous machinery and vehicles, not to speak of the pollution and poisoning of the aqua fir. There were as many as 650 well sites in Susquehanna County and hundreds more to come. To me this was shameless rape of Mother Earth.
It is our voracious appetite for oil and natural gas at a cheaper price that spurs the industry to exploit the earth’s natural resources, so, not surprisingly, the consumer is a guilty as the producer. None of us raised a voice when the same industry was exploiting and devastating the environment and resources of other countries to feed the monster in our backyard. Now that the world has become wise and curtailed the power of the Oil Industry to plunder the resources in their countries we do not want them to do the same in our backyard with natural gas. Clearly, the choice before us is: Do we stop the monster that is set on ruining the earth for future generations or do we mindlessly sacrifice the future generations.
We have been plundering the resources of the world as if they are limitless. Politicians have been screaming to high heaven about the debt we are leaving behind for our grandchildren to pay back but no mention is ever made that there won’t be an earth left for future generations to live on.
What Would Gandhi Do? People are desperately asking me and, of course, want me to lead the effort against the Gas Industry and the politicians who are pandering to their needs. Gandhi always did urge us to curb our appetite for luxuries. His famous quote: The world has enough for everyone’s need, but not for everyone’s greed, needs to be thoroughly digested.
Gandhi believed in the concept of Sarvodaya, seeking the welfare of ALL citizens and not just a majority of citizens. A State that works for the majority ends up marginalizing a large segment who are unable to keep up. Gandhi did not object to capitalism but did object to capitalists who succumbed to greed and selfishness. He believed in a society where it was everyone’s duty to take care of everyone else not only in the present but in the future as well. He wanted a society that was more compassionate and committed to eradicating greed, selfishness and all the negativity that besets us today.
Gandhi was not against progress. What he wanted was progress with responsibility. What was important to him was not how much we give in charity, but how we make the money that we give to charity. Gandhi’s concept of life was simplicity, love, compassion, respect, caring and harmony – all of which we admire from afar but are, too often, unwilling to practice.
Desperate times require desperate measures. Are we willing to go beyond asking What Would Gandhi Do and Do what Gandhi expected us to do?
Now that the world has become wise and curtailed the power of the Oil Industry to plunder the resources in their countries we do not want them to do the same in our backyard with natural gas. Clearly, the choice before us is: Do we stop the monster that is set on ruining the earth for future generations or do we mindlessly sacrifice the future generations.