It has always happened this way.

"No civilization has survived the ongoing destruction of its natural support systems. Nor will ours".

The earth has seen many civilizations. Initially scattered populations stay in forested regions, thriving with the benefits nature has to offer. Staying close to nature allows human growth at all levels. There is plenty for all and in settlements people live together with cooperation and fellow feeling being their survival strong points. There is nothing to gain from competition.

Then purposeful cultivation or agriculture begins. It is the first step against nature. Trees have to be felled. Human reasoning replaces the thoughtful and patient processes of nature. Agriculture necessitates long stays at the same place and human settlements grow. These settlements think of keeping nature out thus cutting off its always available healing and nurturing arm.

Gradually the thought process too drifts away and human motives receive preference. Selfishness becomes more prized than the peace of selfless and cooperative tendencies. These are retained only in female populations as they are the creators and sustainers of the human race.

Microbial changes take place in the populations cutting off the life force behind health. Urban centres spring up and they beckon populations with their wealth and amenities. The lure of an easy life erodes health further and affects mental health as well.

The mind needs silence and stillness to grow. They become scarce and mental peace is lost. The deluded man loses the sense of discrimination. Towards the end nature becomes the enemy to be conquered. In our present civilization humanity itself has been targeted by misguided liberalism and science.

Nature tolerates to the extent possible. Then changes start happening. The ecosystem is a living and intelligent force. When it corrects anomalies natural disasters happen in an extreme scale. It is compounded by the disturbed mind that leads to strife and wars. Together these forces end the expanding civilization.

Few survive and life moves forward again to complete another cycle. Thinkers like Aurobindo and Anandamurty have shown a path whereby man and nature can coexist. Spirituality is the key. Will humanity learn and follow the next time?