Most of us are a tad confused whether it is a time to rejoice in happiness or ruminate in distress. The world population hit a gargantuan 7 billion some weeks back. Why it seems only yesterday that we had announced the arrival of the 6 billionth among us. That was 1999 and it has been just over a decade. They say we will be 9 billion of us in 2045 but I have a scary feeling it might be sooner than later looking at how we are going! Imagine we were just a half of this numbing number in the not- so- long-back 60s.
You see, each second 5 new members enter the hallowed portals of the Homo sapiens species. Alas! Some 2 people leave us at that very moment. Yes only 2. So you know where the whole issue arises from. And what with the gigantic leaps in science and particularly medicine, we are all living it up literally with the average lifespan shooting up to 69 years. But do not worry about the space at all…if push comes to shove the 7 billion of us could fit shoulder-to-shoulder in LA. So there isn’t that much cause for concern.
There was a lot of hullabaloo over where this celebrated child was born. But going by the statistics, in all probability it was indeed India. With 1 out of the 5 babies being born in India, we no doubt had a great chance from the very start. We are set to surpass China in all but 14 years to be at the top of the ranks in terms of numbers. Now that’s what you call emerging as a leader of people, don’t you?
But jokes apart, every child is indeed a gift from the Almighty. Our duty as his Children does not end just with celebrating Him in his new form. We start by giving a return gift of a life of peace and dignity to this semblance of the Lord. It is for We the People who inhabit this Earth to make it a welcome place for our new guests to make them feel at home.