But unfortunately, in the name of religion, all we know is 𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝘀, 𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝘀."

~ Acharya Prashant

That’s why religion is needed—but when I say that, I mean real religion: the one that frees us from this inner burden, not binds us further.

If man does not have true religion, he will suffer endlessly.

It’s this very mindset that is driving our economies, our leaders, and even our personal lives.

“Unless the goal of life shifts 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗳𝗮𝗿𝗲, these crises will only worsen.”

And sadly, plastic pollution is just one small symptom of a much larger disease.

𝗔𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝘆𝗮 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗻𝘁 has been warning about this deeper problem for years:

“An entire generation has inherited a deeply toxic philosophy,
that life’s purpose is to 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲, 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲, 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲.”

And yet, the world keeps repeating the same word: “recycling.”

𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲?

And here’s what the data often hides:

𝗪𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻, but Asian countries, with weaker waste systems and mountains of imported trash, get blamed for the leakage.

India alone imported nearly 𝟮𝟬𝟬 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗸𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝘄𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲 between 2021–23, 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗮 𝗯𝗮𝗻 imposed in 2019.

But these numbers hide the real culprit: 𝗪𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗺.

For decades, 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵-𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱, low-value plastic waste to poorer nations, under the label of “recycling.”

Most of this waste is actually unrecyclable, so it is burned, dumped, or leaks into rivers.

And that cure begins by bringing people closer to 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲, by helping them see who they truly are, and what they truly crave.

Otherwise, man will continue to live a 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻-𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲, and no external solution will ever be enough.

That’s why 𝗔𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝘆𝗮 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗻𝘁 says, the real solution to environmental degradation lies in curing the human mind itself.

But to truly let that happen, we must look deeper.

At the root of most destruction lies the 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱, constantly wanting to consume, expand, and possess, yet never feeling complete.

According to restoration ecologists, nearly 𝟵.𝟱 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘀 have naturally regenerated in parts of the Atlantic Forest region, including several vulnerable species.

This story once again reminds us that nature can heal itself, if only man stops trying to dominate it.

All that was done was 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘀 from fires, grazing, and exploitation.

And then, within years, nature did the rest.

🌿 Native trees began to sprout again.
🕊️ Birds and animals returned.
🌳 Entire ecosystems started rebuilding themselves, without human intervention.

What’s remarkable is that 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆.

No massive nurseries.
No expensive replanting campaigns.