Ahmedabad has recently been declared the centre for hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2030.
For many, this announcement is a symbol of progress, opportunity and global recognition.
But for me, it has stirred a very different set of thoughts.
We call it development. But is it really development if a city cannot even provide fresh air to breathe?
I call it durgati, collapse.
Because with every so-called milestone of progress, I see:
- More and more trees being cut
- More heat rising from the expanding concrete jungle
- Less fresh air, more respiratory and lung issues
- Increasing allergies and stress
- More illness, more noise, more smoke
- More traffic and more chaos
If this is the price of progress, then what exactly are we progressing towards?
A city struggling to offer clean air is not progressing. It is silently suffocating.
And like always, if the imbalance becomes too much, nature will find its own way of restoring equilibrium. We saw it during Covid: a forced pause that allowed the earth to breathe again. But once life resumed, we found ourselves rushing back to the same destructive patterns. How long can this cycle continue?
The Earth has its own intelligence. It has lived for billions of years – died, reborn, evolved, transformed. It will continue to do so.
It is not the Earth that is at risk of extinction. It is us, the human race, that is walking steadily toward its own downfall.
We often believe that more money, more construction, and more capitalism equals progress. But in reality, this blind race for “growth” is creating deeper imbalance and paving the way for our own destruction.
Shamanism: A Forgotten Way of Relating to the Earth
Shamanism, on the other hand, teaches us an entirely different way of living – a relationship of reciprocity with the Earth.
It reminds us that the Earth is not a commodity to be used and exploited, but a sentient being that is alive, conscious and responsive. A mother who nurtures us, and whom we must also nourish. A partner with whom we must maintain a healthy, respectful exchange.
Shamanic teachings compel us to pause and ask:
- What am I doing to my own home?
- What am I doing to my own mother?
- How am I contributing to the Earth’s wellbeing and therefore my own survival?
Instead of indulging in mindless growth and capitalist pursuits, Shamanism invites us to walk a path of awareness, balance, and responsibility.
In Shamanism, we explore these deeper issues – our role, our responsibility, and our sacred relationship with the Earth. It becomes a journey of introspection, healing, and reconnection – not just with nature, but with ourselves.
Maybe it’s time to redefine what development truly means. Maybe it’s time to choose sustainability over spectacle, reciprocity over exploitation, and conscious living over endless consumption.
Because without clean air, clean water, shade, silence, and sanity a city is not progressing. It is simply accelerating its own suffering.
And only when we return to a respectful partnership with the Earth can we truly thrive.
Basic Shamanism Workshop returns in January 2026, stay tuned for more details.
Header Image by freepik