By TFL Mawlong
It makes a lot of sense to think globally and act locally, and that is what sustainable development is all about. The idea of sustainable development is not new although the term “sustainable” and “sustainability” as such first appeared not so long ago in Oxford Dictionary in the second half of the 20th century. Plato in the 5th century and Pliny the older and Strabo in the 1st century, talked about different types of environmental degradation from human activities such as farming, logging, and mining. They also recommended that we used sustainable practices to maintain the youthfulness of mother earth. And in modern times the discussions on sustainable development happen far too frequently, Every year there are innumerable talks on sustainability at national, regional and international platforms..
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Science is increasingly being called to produce knowledge and technology that promote sustainability. And this year the theme of our National Science Day celebration is “Science and Technology for a sustainable future”. It goes without saying that the role of science in our society has never been more important.
There are all these workshops and seminars on sustainable development than we can count but worryingly, we are sidetracking or perhaps taking for granted certain things that should be the keys in the episode. “How informed are we, and how scientific is our thinking and lifestyle?” The uninformed mass is least caring about sustainability. Also in a democracy, the uninformed electorate invite all sorts of unquestioned agenda as we witness in different election manifestoes this election. In fact, and it is a no-brainer that one of the biggest fears of failing to ensure a sustainable future is the unscientific and uninformed mass, not the knowledge of science.
There has been an increase in the frontiers of knowledge regarding sustainable growth and development but unfortunately, the downward filtration to the masses is rather slow in our society. More unfortunate is the assumption that scientific knowledge leads automatically to widespread acceptance by the mass through some yearly programs. Clearly, it doesn’t work. As a society, we continue to think and live traditionally or primitively in survival mode, as one of the most unscientific society in the world if we don’t count the primitive forest tribes in Tongo, Amazon, Chotanagpur, Andaman and Nicobar, etc. Our acceptance of scientific knowledge is very low, except of course when coming to technological gadgets like the smart-phones, computers, and cars etc, which like a vampire are sucking the life out of us.
The greatest benefit that science education can bring is when it increases public understanding and awareness. Programs like the “National Science Day” can contribute a lot to public awareness of scientific knowledge and technology. It can motivate the nation especially the youth in schools toward scientific thinking and practices. However, like all those big and dramatic motivations we get from films like “Rocky,” we may be inspired for several days, but the excitement stirred by the program wears off rather quickly when confronted by the day-to-day reality of a scientifically backward society.
What can effectively drive youth to think scientifically and live scientifically is the small and mundane motivation which can come from the classroom every day. To motivate the youth it is important that school teachers engage in meaningful discussions with the students on a regular basis about the implication of scientific findings and concepts. Science needs to appeal to the youth not just because of job prospects but also of all the benefits that come in its package. As educators, we need to push students to scientific discussions. But for that, we need to first demystify science. Educators need to present science in an attractive and stimulating fashion. We need to stop teaching science in a dry, ineffective, semi-educated and boring way. We need to articulate the concepts clearly, innovatively and effectively. And educators should lead students to learn science “actively by doing” not “passively by re-reading” of class notes. Unfortunately, education in Meghalaya is one of the worste, especially at the college level.
Lastly, to paraphrase Yuval Noah Harari, author of the international bestsellers “Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind and Homo Deus”, “Traditionally life has been divided into two main parts: a period of learning followed by a period of working. In the first part of life you build a stable identity and acquire personal and professional skills; in the second part of life you earn a living and contribute to society. By 2040, this traditional model will become obsolete, and the only way for humans to stay in the game will be to keep learning throughout their lives and to reinvent themselves again and again..”
In the spirit of what Yuval Noah says above, if we continue to live traditionally, and are averse learning and adapting, as a society, “we will not only fail to meet the needs of the present we will also compromise the ability of future generation to meet their needs”. The keys to scientific practice are continual learning and a scientific thinking, and the key to learning and scientific thinking is a sound scientific education.