How Sane Are We?

How Sane Are We? : Anuradha Chaudhary, Bangladesh (1947-)

Summary

The author of this essay discusses the irrational behavior of contemporary humans who are heedlessly producing ecological harm and environmental catastrophe in the modern world. This essay represents contemporary environmental difficulties. In the modern world, people are egotistical, acquisitive, and destructive of themselves. It is implied in this essay that people are incapable of making logical choices. Politics and ecology are tightly intertwined, despite the fact that many people do not see this connection. Similarly, by protecting environment, we are not honoring our forebears. The current social, economic, and political system of the globe must thus be changed.

The author examines the fallacy that everyone in society makes sensible decisions. She paints a realistic portrait of the current global environmental disaster. She berates contemporary people for not understanding the devastating effects of environmental devastation, leading them to participate directly or indirectly in causing ecological harm and pollution. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and other dangerous gases and chemicals have been used by people in developed nations. Invention of CFCs dates to 1930. They are made of carbon, fluorine, and chlorine. They're synthetic chemicals. 20% of the greenhouse effect is a result of them. Similar to ozone, which is composed of oxygen atoms, is a naturally occurring chemical. The ozone layer is severely compromised. The earth's ecosystem, agricultural productivity, human immune system, skin cancer, and eye diseases will all be impacted if the rays get there. This is due to the fact that a connection between CFCs and the ozone layer was only thought to exist in 1985. As a result, people all over the world would quickly stop using CFCs and replace them with less expensive and safe chemicals. However, because this idea was not sustainable, people began using CFCs to cause their own demise.

According to the author, contemporary humans have been harming their own existence. Political leaders that make decisions are just concerned about the upcoming election; they are not concerned about the destiny of humanity. They are just interested in the short-term benefits. Thus, our decision as a group is damaging to ourselves. We should all work to preserve nature, the atmosphere, wildlife, forests, water resources, the ozone layer, and the entire ecology. We might sink and drown if we don't make major changes to the way we think and practice politics. The author concludes by urging us, as contemporary humans, to alter our beliefs, actions, and involvement in politics and business.

Application of Four Levels

• Literal Comprehension
  • This essay discusses the environmental harm brought on by the modern world's egotistical, commercial, and destructive human nature. They are also unable to make logical decisions. The author blames people for being careless and ignorant about ecological damage and its deadly effects. Similar to how people from industrialized nations have been drawn to use CFCs and many other chemicals that have a direct impact on the ozone and greenhouse gas layers. As a result, the ecology is impacted, the immune system of humans weakened, skin cancer, eye contract, and other dangerous diseases arise, from which humans suffer greatly. Despite warnings not to use such substances, people continued to use them despite the warnings, leading to significant issues in their daily lives. The essayist satirizes those who just consider the present and engage in politics in order to gain quick benefits. Those people do not plan or make reasonable decisions; instead, they continue to be detrimental to themselves. To create a peaceful ecological environment, it is therefore necessary to alter the political, economic, social, and cultural systems. To do this, we must change the way we think and act, for example, by preserving culture, water resources, population control, halting deforestation, and the ozone layer. If not, we will undoubtedly destroy ourselves in the near future.
• Interpretation
  • The essay discusses the environmental harm that contemporary, mad humans have created by causing pollution, deforestation, the greenhouse effect, and ozone depletion. Similar to that, this essay suggests that people are capable of making logical decisions. People are only concerned with the upcoming election and not with the future. Even though they are aware that using CFCs and other chemicals might harm the environment and cause other problems, they do nothing to prohibit their usage. By maintaining a tradition, they are not honoring the past or preserving the culture; rather, they are destroying humanity's future. The author claims that humans are irrational for having discovered such components that could potentially kill us. Therefore, by altering our attitudes, behaviors, and political and economic activity, we can protect the environment, the ozone layer, wildlife, forests, water supplies, and the entire ecological system.
• Critical Thinking
  • The author accurately depicts the current state of ecological destruction in the planet. She criticizes the stupidity of persons who produce toxic chemicals and those who are unaware of the serious harm they are doing to the environment. She thus attacks the governments, lawmakers, and owners of the factories that employ dangerous chemicals like chlorofluorocarbons. However, some of the essay's arguments seemed less persuasive. Why does the author do nothing to stop the scientists from creating dangerous chemicals? Are people in the current world truly insane? Do people solely harm the environment's ecology?
• Assimilation
  • I've been greatly motivated by this essay. This essay made me think about my previous activity. I used to arbitrarily cut trees in the jungle during the summers when I was in school, especially young trees. In a similar vein, I enjoyed hunting tiny animals and birds in the jungle. But now that I've learned this, I must stop doing these destructive things and pursue the right route to create a tranquil ecological environment where I live and work.

Referance

(Subedi, K.P. and Bhandari, M.B. (2014). Business English. Kathmandu: Highland Publication P. Ltd.)