Time Capsules for the living!

By Swati Verma

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-K6DQffRZSk

The world is turning upside down. Sea waters are filling the lands, muddy water flowing from bank to bank. Mountains, not so high anymore, land sliding to even shorter heights. Suddenly a pile of weathered rocks rolls downhill and no life is seen around. A bird perching on a rock flutters and flies over, looking around chirping. The distant sound of a choir is heard and she follows the sound. A group of about 20 human beings, all in tattered clothes, singing something that sounds like a prayer to God, some weeping, some still in shock. The bird chirps, she wants to question them all, 'what have you done to my home? What has happened to this planet and why?' Her wings flutter furiously as she flies over their heads with her squeaky chirps.

A man comes and faces them all and tells them each to write five things on a piece of paper and bury it there as a time capsule. "These five points should speak to our future when this earth would revive and tell people what they must do on this planet to save it from destruction." Big cardboard pieces torn into smaller pieces along with small tin boxes, are distributed to everyone along with a pen. People start scribbling the points one by one.

The man then asks everyone to read their chits aloud before they bury them within their respective tin boxes. One woman in the first row reads, 'plant more trees. Make it a compulsory rule that the number of trees you cut, you have to plant at least that much or more and if not done, it's a punishable offence.' Many people nod along, expressing their support in unison.

Another one reads, 'take care of animals and birds and use them to travel anywhere to avoid pollution and to communicate through letters. Stop looking for shortcuts. Longer and more natural route is always better.'

Another one reads, 'don't make plastic and don't make factories to create any products. Use what is around you from nature that is God's creation and you will not suffer like us.'

An old lady says, 'don't destroy mother Earth by polluting air, water, land or sky.'

A young boy raises his hand and screams, 'I have the best one!' The whole crowd goes quiet. He says, 'I want to give this chit to God telling him not to create humans when Earth revives and there will be no problem.' Everyone looks at the boy, shocked. He says, 'what?! Don't be surprised! We are the most selfish ones, we think only about ourselves. Look at that bird chirping furiously, I didn't see even one of you noticing it as you are drowned in your own selfish sorrows. Why should God recreate us when we are the villains who destroyed all other lives on earth?'

Everyone is quiet while the bird goes and sits on the boy's shoulders. The innocent boy blurts loudly, 'I am sorry birdie, from all my people. We destroyed your home.' Another girl next to him strokes the bird and says, 'we knew everything that is the problem and refused to do anything about it. Even the teacher made us write in our essays about all the problems and never work on the actual solutions. What a sad world we live in.' Some other kids join too and they apologise to the bird and then to God. But God spares them all and they live on. They build the world again and growth leads to necessity and necessity to more inventions in the name of development. When days become better, people get back to their old ways, servants to their own selfish habits. World destruction begins again, like before.

When natural disaster strikes, floods bring water to the homes and livelihoods are destroyed. Some time capsules come floating by and a man reads one of them. He is reminded of that day. His son comes to him and says, 'Papa I found another one', and he reads it, 'I want to give this chit to God telling him not to create humans when Earth revives and there will be no problem.' The man's eyes tear up, sees a bird chirping furiously at his window. He tells his son, 'I wrote this son, when I was your age."' His son looks at him, surprised. He continues, 'what?! Don't be surprised! We have always been the most selfish ones, we think only about ourselves. Look at that bird chirping furiously, I didn't see even one person noticing it as we are drowned in our own selfish sorrows. Why should God recreate us when we are the villains who destroyed all other lives on earth?' His son looks at the bird, blinking innocently, 'I am sorry birdie, from all my people. We destroyed your home.' The man hugs his son and says, 'no son, I am sorry, I knew everything that is the problem and refused to do anything about it. We read about these problems, write in our speeches but never work on the actual solutions. What a sad world we live in. I am sorry for creating this sad world for you, please forgive me son! I repeated the mistakes my ancestors made.' The man weeps his heart out while his son looks at the bird, concerned as she flutters her wings furiously and flies away.

By Swati Verma