Nature's Antifragility: The Way Out of Armageddon

Yesterday, my father-in-law, wife, kids, and I took off on a rainy day to a place called Bhoothathankettu in Kerala. It was an hour and a half drive from my in-law's home.

Bhoothathankettu, as the name suggests from the native language of Malayalam, signals to a dam built by ghosts (bhootham). The natural fortification of hills and forests surprise the visitor by how nature 'knows' to take care of herself. One can be persuaded by the myth that the massive rocks were hurled down from the skies to flood the area and kill the Lord Shiva.

Of course, a dam was later built in the 1970's to conserve water for purposes like irrigation, hydro-electricity, flood controls etc. The ugly politics of dam construction is not something I want to engage in this article, though it must be stated that I empathize with the Anti-Dam Movement.

The landscape of waters, hills, and forest does something inexplicable to my soul. I stood soaking it all in as nature massaged every nook and cranny of my soulscape.

I hired a local guide to take us through the forest trail. Though there are people who guffaw at such exercises because, often, such guides only make a fool of the gullible tourist, I enlist guides for a few reasons.

For one, I want to contribute to the local economy and respect and dignify them. These people (often men) have lived in the surrounding areas and have proudly presented their culture and heritage for years. They could have left elsewhere for brighter prospects but celebrate their history and culture as their vocation. I respect that.

Secondly, I love listening to local legends. There is always a story that shapes the cultural conscience of the people. I seek to see the world through their eyes as much as possible in the few hours I have.

Finally, they have some facts in their armour which I would not have known apart from engaging in the slow casual dialogue.

As soon as I parked my car, outside the trail, I was hooked by a very peculiar sight. I seemed to be looking, from a distance, at an ecological mash. It seemed like a mini-truck was being invaded by the wild.

There was life growing and creeping out from the seats, pedals, engine compartment, and steering wheel of the vehicle. The cargo bed looked like a tree itself would grow out of it.

I was shocked by the sight. I thought of how we worry (rightly so) about the taking over of machines and the stripping of the planet's natural world. If this sight was anything, it was a visible proof that there is power in nature to restore and heal itself in spite of the tragic forces at play.

I was filled with hope. Even if we slowed down our technologizing pace, the earth could go through a course-correction with nature leading us out of the current chaos.

Of course, I understand that this is possible in tropical Kerala, India, and may not be the case in other parts of the world. Nevertheless, the potency of nature in any place cannot be underestimated.

As I reflect on this, I am persuaded that the earth needs a relief from the speed at which we are dumping garbage generated by the modern lifestyle. The only way out is through humans adopting alternative lifestyle choices to almost every sphere of their life.

I realize that this would decrease the demand of the many million products in the physical and digital stores, causing huge losses to every industry; resulting in loss of jobs too.

The way the world has been structured is essentially flawed. This is not a rant against neo-liberalism, capitalism, or globalization. There are far deeper thinkers who are erudite in their framing of the problem and proposing of solutions. This is too precious, though, to leave to the hands of the experts and the policy makers.

I digress. The potency of nature to heal itself is quite remarkable. One way for anyone to persevere in this path is through their commitment to examine and understand their individual/household impact on nature and set a plan to reduce it. We cannot wait on systemic changes to start this process.

Plant trees, stop consuming animal products, utilize only road/rail public transportation as much as possible, reuse & repurpose existing material, listen to the vulnerable, marginalized & dispossessed, and act on their advice, spend time in nature, and, yes, organize and advocate for these at various levels.

Start small and with what works for you.

These are simple ways we can reclaim what we are quickly losing. The earth has the power to heal itself. Nature is resilient. To clarify, using Nassim Nicholas Taleb's concept, nature is anti-fragile. The minor ruptures and breakages makes nature emerge stronger than it was before.

There was more to the walk in Bhoothathankettu. But the one thing I came back mighty impressed was in the power of nature. I under estimated it's potency and anti-fragility. It has given me hope. A future is still possible if humanity exhibits some restraint. It will bounce back and reclaim its natural place.

P.S: I wonder did you notice the flowers bloom in the cargo bed of the truck?