May you all be home

I often quote and practise ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” which in Sanskrit means “the world is one family”. In recent times, this practice of mine is increasingly becoming difficult as I endeavour to expand this global family to welcome lives that often go unseen and uncared for. 

We discuss our survival at the heat of an environmental catastrophe. We debate tragically whether climate change is real. We say we will lose our homes in the coming years as we continue to ignore protecting our planet. We know the harsh reality because we see communities becoming homeless and struggling for survival as the world fights to exist in its natural peaceful existence. In this moment of crisis, are we not leaving some behind? Can we truly march forward when we leave our animals devastated and lost without a place to survive?

We have witnessed the Australian “Black Summer” Bushfires but fail to remember that a significant number of animals were killed and permanently displaced including the koalas. The fires leading to the deforestation of the Amazon are also forcing millions of animals to lose their homes or die because of the severe impact of the fires. There is the megadrought in the Horn of Africa, the devastating floods of South Asia, the destruction of the Sumatran Rainforest and the Pantanal Wetland Wildfires are all news that come up instantly when one searches for millions of animals dying. These are some of the examples but not all. 

I also witness on a daily basis the heart-wrenching violence towards stray animals in cities, villages and rural areas where humans engage in cruel acts harming and killing animals for no good reason. Sometimes, they are hanged, sometimes they are thrown into rivers and sometimes they are mutilated. 

We are all aware that most countries have some laws to protect the rights of animals. However, I am not speaking up for these lives for the legality of the laws. I find it unsettling that we are turning harsh towards our animals where we are seizing their homes to make our own, building cities and structures, hoping that we will find peace. Can we?

How do we sustain the balance of this planet by making millions of lives desperate and homeless? How do we survive when we thrive on killing millions? How do we call this world one family when we are not ready to accept and nurture the lives we see around us. 

I have pledged to care for the lives I see around me. I pledge to do so irrespective of how violent and inhumane this world turns. If I can inspire one person around me, some more lives will find care. And for the ones far away from my reach, I pray that you all find your home.

Written By: Lemona Chanda - Bangladesh