Dehradun, Sept. 21 -- have we passed the planet's most harmonious phase? Perhaps Earth's happiest days weren't marked by grand achievements, but by quiet coexistence with nature, with one another, and within ourselves. If we have indeed outlived them, then the challenge now isn't just survival, but the radical hope of restoration. Because the Earth may still have joy left, only if we choose to nurture it.
Earlier, we had fewer amenities but more happiness, more greenery and less concrete, smaller houses but bigger hearts, fewer medicines yet better health, less money but a deeper sense of meaning in life. There was less selfishness but more compassion, less greed but greater generosity.
Our relentless pursuit of material possessions has e...