Message of the Lesson

The essay's message is a call to responsibility and hope. Palkhivala wants us to realise that the earth is a living organism in poor health, and that we — "the world's most dangerous animal" — are the cause. But we are also the only possible cure.

He insists that humans are merely trustees, not owners, of the planet: "we have not inherited this earth from our forefathers; we have borrowed it from our children." Progress must therefore be sustainable, population must be controlled, forests and biological systems must be protected, and industry must lead the way into a new "Era of Responsibility." …