Planet Earth, Evolution and Succession  

Bibhuti Narayan Biswal

From the Big Bang came planet earth,
Along with stars, galaxies, space, and planets.
The Sun and Moon are essential in this universe,
for all things happenstance of struggle, if only for a microsecond.

The evolution of multicellular organisms surpassed many phases,
Neanderthal to Homo Sapiens journey makes everyone amazed.
Journey of each evolutionary phase passes through many struggles,
Anyone can see the contour of human evolution through a wide-angle.

The journey of tadpole to frog, embryo to baby, cocoon to butterfly,
Sees the division of cells into nuclei that pass through many stages.
Perhaps it is the law of nature, that every part of creation
must face varying struggles and rules that apply.

Plants and animals in deserts are in perfect unison,
Though there is a struggle for survival,
They are perfect companions.
The visible world, animate, and inanimate constitute our worldly heaven.

With passage of time, early human beings discovered fire,
Made settlements and sustained their life through agriculture,
Hunting to heating and cooking,
Learned to protect their body through clothing.

Old stone age, new stone age laid the foundation of modern civilization,
All ages ensured the survival of the fittest principles
for plants, animals including humans.
The struggle is still on, and we harbinger of
new scientific and technological innovations,
The First, Second, Third and Fourth industrial revolutions.

The world today boasts 8 billion people,
In spite, every country is trying hard for further expansion.
Land, air, water, and minerals facing the wrath of exploitation,
Many floras, fauna, and local inhabitants are on the verge of extinction,

Millions of people across the world facing starvation,
Due to less food production and increasing population.
There is an imbalance in daily food and nutrition,
Which may extend to the next generation. 

Quality of air we breathe is disrupted by acute pollution,
Caused by worldwide urbanization.
The urban slums, swanky roads depict the plight of modern civilization,
Governments across the world are in constant struggle
to make their place safe for habitation.

Every citizen in elevation (ever-growing aspirations), 
In terms of success, material possessions and self-glorification.
Ignoring ethics and duty for their nations,
That’s the root cause of human civilizational degradation.

Think of the uncountable productive struggles,
Let us limit our desires, 
Growing urge to have more materials,
Money, food, vehicles, and lavish lifestyles,
Shun the idea of individualism and adopt the idea of collectivism,
Strive hard for more and more community living,
To bring back the spirit- Live and let live. 
That will help all of us together to thrive.

The Science

The universe, stars, and planet earth resulted from the Big Bang. That followed the creation of unicellular to multicellular organisms. The existence of today’s world and particularly humans highlight multifarious struggles and evolutions. For existence, early humans discovered fire, clothing, cooking, sharpening of tools etc. Ancient human to modern, cocoon to butterfly etc. have experienced the struggle and faced the law of nature that reminds us of universality in the face of increasing human influence on nature. The early living beings existed harmoniously along with each other. The growing anthropogenic influence disrupted the balance in terms of pollution of air, aquifer, Scarcity of food. All scientific and technological revolution we achieved through struggle and for existence. That is now adversely affecting modern civilization due to mindless exploitation. Another productive struggle required for all of us is for the succession, restoration, and sustainability of this natural creation.

The Poet

Dr Bibhuti Narayan Biswal (M.Sc., M.Ed, M.Phil & PhD) is a passionate Science Communicator and educational leader. He has been working as a school thought leader since 2004 and touched the lives of thousands of teachers through workshops. He has to his credit 21 research papers, 9 book chapters, more than 28 popular science sessions for teachers and 171 articles including for popular science. Presently he is working with Reliance Foundation as Academic Lead, Reliance Foundation Schools Academic Council (RFSAC) in Navi Mumbai, India.

Next poem: Rimae Hypatia by Isabel Thomas