As I walked into my first TWC class, I had mixed feelings. To begin with, the subject seemed so vast that it was hard for me to go in with any pre-conceived notions about it. And that, exactly that, turned out to be the essence of this subject.
As a concerned citizen of this world, who thinks beyond boundaries, I took keen interest in the video shown by Dr Shahi. It really was an eye-opener for me. The video simplifies what, for many, is a very confusing topic. The “Story of the Stuff” hit me straight away when it talked about how man’s approach is linear, not cyclical. This, I believe, is not only related to environment alone. We, as human beings, have incorporated the same in our daily lives as well.
Going through one of the readings, the one by Adam Szirmai, if I am not wrong, made me realise how times have changed. Some years ago, people used to think of starting an industry and there were so many ifs attached to it. These days, it is not exactly as risky in terms of how you can learn from the mistakes of all those who are already in the industry. It does not matter if you are a late-comer, said Dr. Shahi. I think he was spot-on. Things have changed.
The presentations on Aquaponics and Israel’s clean technology were really informative. Yu Hui’s presentation was very enlightening. It is good to know that countries are looking at clean technology. I still feel however, as I mentioned during the class as well, that these things need to be taken beyond boundaries for humanity to gain on the whole.
The second part of the class made me learn about how growth is complemented by industrialization. The presentation on Google was by far the best presentation I have ever come across. It was the most informal presentation and it was really very understandable. Hats off to Leon Lee!
My key takeaway point was the Chinese word that had a split-meaning attached to it. So often we have been told by elders that every crisis presents us with an opportunity to do better. It makes a lot of sense. The positivity reflected off this word.
In terms of what else could have been discussed, I think we can, in future classes; work upon how these efforts to give our world a sustainable growth can be globalised. So for instance, the third world and the first world move hand-in-hand in this regard.
Rating: 9/10.
Been a long time since I attended such an interesting class!
Imran Ahmad Khan
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