Nerve Endings Firing Away

I have always argued in numerous arguments with my friends that life is no longer pure and innocent as it seems; we can merely look at it in a positive light and heed no attention to the spoils of the world if we are to enjoy our existence guilt-free. WorldChanging — Another World is Here, fast becoming one of my favorite blogs highlights this story of the most pure thing in the world getting tainted with things you never thought of — breast milk. Surprised? Breast milk has always been touted as the best alternative for a child’s nourishment and man hasn’t come up with a better alternative in spite of the genetic engineering marvels. Apart from the necessary nourishing ingredients, it also supplies immunity-enhancing nutrients that could protect the child from diseases such as diabetes and cancer. But beneath all the attractive packaging, no pun intended, lays unimaginable harm. Do not read further (especially new mothers) if you rather live in the bliss of ignorance.

“But read down the label, and the fine print, at least for some women, sounds considerably less appetizing: DDT (the banned but stubbornly persistent pesticide famous for nearly wiping out the bald eagle), PCB’s, dioxin, trichloroethylene, perchlorate, mercury, lead, benzene, arsenic. When we nurse our babies, we feed them not only the fats, sugars and proteins that fire their immune systems, metabolisms and cerebral synapses. We also feed them, albeit in minuscule amounts, paint thinners, dry-cleaning fluids, wood preservatives, toilet deodorizers, cosmetic additives, gasoline byproducts, rocket fuel, termite poisons, fungicides and flame retardants.” [via NY Times]

Where did all these poisons come from? Our ever-evolving modern and civilized life is primarily to blame. All the contact with polymers and plastic that make up most of the things that we use in our daily life acts as a infinitesimally increasing poison that has permeated our existence. Of course, societies that we mock for being backward have so far escaped being afflicted with this slow poison. But they willingly thrust themselves into this abyss. Man is a hardy animal and we will definitely make our bodies immune but we do have a choice still. The world of materialism has a definite lure to it that the most ascetic amongst us cannot resist. However, as WorldChanging reassures us that all is not lost and there is hope to reverse the damage using social, biological, and political mechanisms. Sustainable design and conscious effort at bettering our industrial process can at least begin the revival process. Read up the rest at WorldChanging for a detailed analysis.

I just was surprised at the frailty of man and his vulnerability of his own actions that almost threaten accelerating evolution in the wrong direction. I hope that macho Bollywood heroes can still melodramatically scream “Maa ka doodh piya hai toh bahar nikal” in the future; it has an old-worldly charm to it.