As a child I had always watched my father close his eyes and meditate as he remembered God. In a simple process called muraqaba, Muslims are recommended to periodically empty their minds of all attachments to material thoughts and remember their sole purpose in this world. I loved this idea of liberating yourself from the extraneous luxuries of the world and reveling in simple pleasures. Due to this philosophy, I have a deep respect for nature. I believe that the grass, weeds, trees, and even animals are partaking in muraqaba that is purer and more sincere than that of humans. Human thoughts can always be contaminated with desires for fame and status. What status does the natural environment in my backyard want other than to survive?

Nature is constantly giving and nourishing its inhabitants. The earth gives us everything: crops, wood, water, a place for leisure activity, and even beautiful scenery. Yet, just like children who take their mothers for granted, humans perennially forget to thank and appreciate their earthly mother. Similar to the difference between the poverty in the east and modernization in the west, there is a huge disparity between nature and the civilized humans who have forgotten it. I sincerely believe that we are missing a complete picture of our own humanity by trapping ourselves into a bubble of air-conditioned apartments, indoor urban recreation, televised movies, and digital communication. We are living in a virtual world that is completely unaware of the holocaust against the natural environment just like many people were kept in the dark about the atrocities against Non-Aryans during World War II. The same factories that are used to fuel our bubbles of luxury are emitting toxins that harm the health of people in both the eastern and western hemispheres. Environmental health activists aim to correct this skewed understanding of reality and nature.

My first profound introduction to environmental health was through a simple picture book of Rachel Carson’s life and work. It was presented to me as a gift by my second grade teacher. Little did she know that this book would have a large, subconscious role in piquing my interest in the human connection with the environment. As an adult my interest grew to include international health crises, such as the arsenic crisis in Bangladesh. Hundreds of thousands of Bangladeshi citizens are acquiring cancer due to the consumption of water contaminated with this element. When I discovered that professors at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University are conducting research in Bangladesh on the same issue, I was eager to join the school.

My journey has only begun. I hope that I can help bring some balance to the tumultuous relationship between the environment and humanity that has existed since the beginning of civilization. Through moderation we can save the health and life of both entities. Through excessiveness, humanity will only be enveloped in chaos. Certainly this has already been foreseen by a wise Native American: Only when the last tree has died and the last river poisoned and the last fish caught will we realize that we cannot eat money. Through education, outreach, and activism, people of all faiths and backgrounds can unite to seek this proper balance.