<p>Sustainability is a buzzword in today’s world, but what does nature’s grand design reveal about it? The passing of our neighbour’s beloved pet Daisie, who lived a full 12 years and left behind a legacy of scores of puppies, prompts us to ponder the meaning of life and death.</p>.<p>Nature operates on a spectrum of time scales, with physical laws governing the universe over billions of years, chemical interactions playing out over millions of years, and biological life spans measured in mere decades. In this grand design, individual lives are fleeting and ephemeral. Daisie’s passing is a poignant reminder of this reality.</p>.<p>Life is believed to be an accidental outcome of a chemical soup aeons ago. Of the several goals of living organisms, adjusting to the odds of the <br>environment with the main objective of procreation seems to take precedence. </p>.<p>From a biological perspective, life seems to be driven by the imperative to procreate and ensure the continuation of species. Once this purpose is fulfilled, nature appears to have no further use for individuals, and they fade away. This cycle is evident in the animal kingdom, where most species don’t live long after their reproductive peak. Humans and certain whales are exceptions, with extended post-reproductive lifespans that may be linked to evolutionary benefits related to nurturing their offspring and grandchildren.</p>.<p>Man’s search for truth through science and other avenues in their lifetime by itself does not seem to be a reason for their long life in nature’s design. </p>.<p>Let’s go back in time to reflect on where the permanence in nature is. </p>.<p>Physical laws like gravity, electromagnetic propagation, and relativity exhibit permanence and unwavering sustainability. These fundamental principles have governed the universe since the Big Bang, providing a sense of constancy amidst change.</p>.<p>After this, chemical interactions seem to have taken hold in more observable nearness. Most of the 90-odd elements settled from the gaseous state to the liquid and then solid state over millions of years, interacting with each other and losing their prime identity, with the exception of gold, platinum, etc., which are known for their resistance to many chemical reactions. There is change in general and no long-term sustainability. </p>.<p>Nature seems to work on constant changes: long-term in physical sciences, brief in the chemical world and miniscule in the biological realm, where there is no purpose in life after the productive period. That is nature’s design. </p>.<p>Poor Daisie is no exception.</p>
<p>Sustainability is a buzzword in today’s world, but what does nature’s grand design reveal about it? The passing of our neighbour’s beloved pet Daisie, who lived a full 12 years and left behind a legacy of scores of puppies, prompts us to ponder the meaning of life and death.</p>.<p>Nature operates on a spectrum of time scales, with physical laws governing the universe over billions of years, chemical interactions playing out over millions of years, and biological life spans measured in mere decades. In this grand design, individual lives are fleeting and ephemeral. Daisie’s passing is a poignant reminder of this reality.</p>.<p>Life is believed to be an accidental outcome of a chemical soup aeons ago. Of the several goals of living organisms, adjusting to the odds of the <br>environment with the main objective of procreation seems to take precedence. </p>.<p>From a biological perspective, life seems to be driven by the imperative to procreate and ensure the continuation of species. Once this purpose is fulfilled, nature appears to have no further use for individuals, and they fade away. This cycle is evident in the animal kingdom, where most species don’t live long after their reproductive peak. Humans and certain whales are exceptions, with extended post-reproductive lifespans that may be linked to evolutionary benefits related to nurturing their offspring and grandchildren.</p>.<p>Man’s search for truth through science and other avenues in their lifetime by itself does not seem to be a reason for their long life in nature’s design. </p>.<p>Let’s go back in time to reflect on where the permanence in nature is. </p>.<p>Physical laws like gravity, electromagnetic propagation, and relativity exhibit permanence and unwavering sustainability. These fundamental principles have governed the universe since the Big Bang, providing a sense of constancy amidst change.</p>.<p>After this, chemical interactions seem to have taken hold in more observable nearness. Most of the 90-odd elements settled from the gaseous state to the liquid and then solid state over millions of years, interacting with each other and losing their prime identity, with the exception of gold, platinum, etc., which are known for their resistance to many chemical reactions. There is change in general and no long-term sustainability. </p>.<p>Nature seems to work on constant changes: long-term in physical sciences, brief in the chemical world and miniscule in the biological realm, where there is no purpose in life after the productive period. That is nature’s design. </p>.<p>Poor Daisie is no exception.</p>