It’s a selfish world that we live in today. No one dare disagree. Man, the crown of creation, endowed with knowledge and beauty has chosen to show his power in every sphere. A selfish heart says, “It’s just I, me and mine.” Are we the sole owners of this planet? Seems we’re blinded to the wonders and contribution of nature around us. Have we ever given a thought to the food chain, or the interlinked food web? You break a link and there’s utter confusion. It’s clear that one can’t do without other fellow creatures. The marvelous universe, the handiwork of a Mastermind has always amazed us. Is it insignificant that the vast galaxy we live in is spinning at the incredible speed of 49000 mph and that there are one billion other galaxies like ours. The complex sea of spinning stars functions with remarkable order. And God has freely given the earth in our hands to care for it. He not only ‘formed’ it but ‘filled’ it (as in Genesis 1:20-27). But man chose to disobey and had to sweat and work hard to eat. He became selfish, careless and cold. God, saddened by increasing enmity and human-animal conflict took a stern action and flooded the earth. Yet he left a remnant safe, a pair of every living species to perpetuate the generations. Hope kindled as He stated in the Book of Hope, The Bible that He’d given another chance—and flora and fauna flourished again! Once again the order broke! The master and steward of nature started exploiting it to make his barns bigger, his houses more spacious, his industries more efficient—all for his profit and show. The natural habitats of birds and animals have rapidly decreased in size, causing them to die or wander into human colonies. Some concerned naturalists are rushing to preserve and conserve rare species going into extinction. While some smarter masterminds have already destroyed precious creatures for their hides, to wear or to display. Countless trees have been cut down for making palatial mansions, making the ground nude, increasing soil erosion, preventing transpiration, precipitation, photosynthesis and increasing the quantity of poisonous pollutants. And no one cares! Some self-centered souls could argue that if God sent a flood once, He could do it a second time. Why waste our breath for a sick earth, headed towards destruction? This same group would give their own pets and farm animals the best care, mow their own lawns and plant orchards for their own clan. Are they not included in a decaying earth? And they forget that God did not spare such selfish mankind from the deluge! So let’s make the best use of this second chance of grace. Let’s grab the opportunity to be of use to let the planet survive. After all, every member of the food chains depends on one another. The ‘I, me and mine’ ideology won’t work for long. Let’s start caring! It’s time to wake up to reality. Our population is constantly exposed to dangerous levels of noxious gases due to deforestation, industrial wastes, careless entertainments and fests. There needs to be a revival of national movements like the Chipko movement. It’s time to gift plants at events, to rally against shows that hint of cruelty to animals and to have more tree planting drives. Do we care enough? We are choking our future generations by chopping off trees senselessly. Let’s give this earth a second chance. Let’s take a lesson from the owner of a garden who planted a fig tree and came seeking fruit on it. Disappointed thrice at finding none, he asked the gardener to chop it off. The wise and patient gardener, who cared for the tree pleaded for yet another chance, promising to dig and till and manure and water it another year. He succeeded in convincing the owner to let it live (as in Luke 13:6-9). We can begin now. Let’s own this planet in our hearts. We can get involved in providing shelters, rescue teams, water-bowls, taking injury calls and if not, can surely fund such activities. Let’s be the ones who care!