WHY DAN BROWN’S INFERNO IS A MUST READ!
I felt obliged to write this article after having read Dan Brown’s Inferno. It is the 4th Book of the Robert Langdon series. Unlike the previous three books, it was criticized by several people for Dan Brown failing to produce something new with the book being written on similar lines as its predecessors. I on the other hand was full of appreciation for this book for bringing into spotlight an important crisis and pressing issue that the world is facing.
Inferno highlights the ill impacts of overpopulation and how the earth is on the brink of collapse if this is how things continue globally. Not many people seem to be aware of this impending danger and some would not even consider this to be a serious issue. But realistically, overpopulation is the crux of all the global issues.
I won’t be mentioning much about the plot of this novel but the focus here is on the issue that this book brings forth. To get you an idea what I am talking about, here’s a true interesting fact highlighted in the book. It took the world from the start to AD 1800’s to reach a population of 1 Billion. And it took just 200 years for the population to become 7 times to reach a perilous level of 7 Billion! That’s how fast the human population is expanding all over the world. The phrase “Survival of the Fittest” is very apt in today’s world. You’ve got to fight to live! There is no room for the weak.
A lot of issues are generated as a result of overpopulation. Let’s analyze them one at a time.
Resources
What we witness today is a battle for resources. The disputes and wars between nations are all due to their desire to procure more resources which in turn gives them more power. Why do you think the Kashmir issue is still unresolved? Pakistan won’t give away Kashmir that easily because the PoK is a trade route between China and Pakistan which increases their income via trade activities.
Let’s take the example of fuel oil for instance. Scientists say that we aren’t far from the day when oil sources will be completely depleted leaving the world in a stand still. And why wouldn’t this day come? Just think how much petrol and diesel is being used just to drive vehicles on a daily basis. It’s every person’s dream to own expensive and stylish cars. We are at a stage where one car per family is a myth! So the point being, people might have lump sum amounts of money coming into their bank accounts every month but the resources that are bought using them are very much limited! Till when can the nature provide fuel for our endless road trips and outings? The nature does not have enough to satisfy every person’s dreams and desires. The truth is that very soon we are running out of oil because the Earth can’t support the fuel requirements so many people!
Quality of Life
Let’s take our very own Country for instance. India is home to 16% of the global population having just 2% of all the land in the world! The population density is enormous in our country which leads to poor quality of life. Step foot in any of the major metropolitan cities, you’d get an idea of what I’m trying to say. As many as 11,000 people live within a square kilometer in our major metropolitan cities. People are living in terribly unhygienic conditions in squalor and dirt filled overpopulated slums.
On the other hand, look at countries with lesser population densities. Take Canada for instance which is the top ranked country in terms of quality of life. Any guesses as to why? Canada resides just 35.85 million people! Club three cities of our country and you’d find the number overshooting Canada’s total population.
Competition
There is competition to come first in class, competition among parents on who’s child is more successful, competition among office goers as to who gets in fast and gets a seat in a public transport during peak hours. Even for the most simplest of things there is competition.
We face immense competition in our daily lives. Especially living in a country like India, everyone knows how difficult it is to get a good rank in an exam, or get selected for a job or make it big in music, sports, etc. The competition is vast out there keeping pressure on all of us. If you have to live a decently pleasant life, you’ve got to strive hard because every minute you spend relaxing, there is someone out there getting better than you. Not that I am against a competitive environment, but somehow I feel that the competition out there is very intense which piles up pressure on all of us. In a country like ours, one has to burn the midnight oil on a daily basis to guarantee a good life. You see so many people committing suicides for not being able to bear the pressure. There are so many unhappy faces out there because it has become very difficult to survive. India is ranked around 150’s in the list of most Happiest Countries in the World!
So, point being, we have very limited opportunities and for that small number of openings for a job or a seat at a college, lakhs of people apply. The resources present in the world do not have the capacity to cater to so many people. For every winner there are hundreds of losers. There aren’t enough jobs to keep everyone satisfied. There aren’t many quality colleges to keep all students happy.
People worry about climate change, pollution and deterioration of resources around the world. Can we relate overpopulation to this? Wouldn’t less people mean less pollution, more resources available for usage and less ill effects on the planet earth? Wouldn’t that constitute a healthier lifestyle and ensure sustainable development?
I hope this article paints a good picture in your mind about the severity of this issue and how important it is to keep the global population under control. Nevertheless, it’s my recommendation to definitely read Inferno which explains this attention seeking problem with an amazing plot having its own twists and turns!
