As I am contemplating a day of celebration of making it to existence for THREE decades I quickly realise that I probably have been brain washed in thinking that this is something overwhelming. I am supposed to have done x and y and achieved z along the way. This I would probably call the influence of cultural, social and environmental psychosocial realism! As if you are neither any better or wiser or more grown up if you have not done or have whoever todays society have deemed as an idol have or have done. As if this is a bench mark for success and prosper to be compared to.
However
as I contemplate a bit deeper and start taking the "I" away from my thoughts and start reflecting on some worldly facts during my 3 decade existence, I quickly realise that things don't seem to be all ok around me, take a look; there are now:
1.
More natural disasters than there has ever been before: earthquakes (Haiti-222, 570, South-Asian
tsunami-226, 408, Kashmir-73338) floods (Mumbai-1200).
2.
More wars than ever before: last decades Child victims of war include an
estimated 2 million killed, 4 to 5 million disabled, 12 million left homeless,
and more than 1 million orphaned.
3.
More nuclear, weapons and military spending than ever before: Current
global military spending has reached $781 billion annually; more than the total
income of the poorest 45% of the global population. 49% of all federal tax
revenues in the US go towards current or past military costs.
4.
More landmine killings than ever before: between 60 and 70 million
landmines are in the ground in at least 70 countries. Land mines maim or kill
approximately 26,000 civilians every year.
5.
More deaths from unsafe waters than ever before, children are most affected; every
year, unsafe water, coupled with a lack of basic sanitation, kills at least 1.6
million children under the age of five years.
6.
More continues deaths from diarrhoea, which easily treated; every year 2.2
million (HIV/AIDS, Malria and Tuberculosis remains the deadliest causes).
7.More
people living in poverty (probably exacerbated by the number of wars) than
ever before; 1.29 billion people is estimated by UN to live in absolute poverty
defined as $1.25 per day (by World bank).
8.
More people experiencing neurotic health conditions than ever before: at
present 40% of disability worldwide is due to depression and anxiety.
9.
More women experiencing exploitations than anytime previously; in South Africa, a woman is killed every 6 hours by an
intimate partner, In India, 22 women are killed each day dowry related,
in Guatemala, two women are murdered each day by violent partner and 3 million British
women experience violence every year. 80% of the estimated 800,000 people
trafficked annually are women (79% for sexual purposes) and between 40 and 50 per
cent of women in European Union countries experience unwanted sexual harassment
at their workplace.
10. More people in debt than ever before: in Britain personal
debt has reached £1.4tn – almost the same amount as Britain's national economic
output.
So not much has actually changed for the better during my existence in fact
if a wave of pessimism is allowed into this whole mix of facts much has become a lot
worse! And the most important question which really deserves all
contemplation is how has my living for 3 decades affected/impacted or
contributed (positively) to lessening these dire facts? I decide to keep the
answer silent for my inner thoughts but I hope that I am not alone in wanting
to think about and question my stay on earth for 30 years in such fashion and
what my contribution has actually been.
“Service to others is
the rent you pay for your room here on earth”
