Introduction

We begin this article with a story.

Once on a visit to Boston, I thought I recognized a face while walking in a mall. I could not recall the name right away, but after a few seconds realized it was my friend Ram from college days. I walked back to the man, and with an outstretched hand asked ``Excuse me, are n't you Ram?'' He did not take my hand, and in fact seemed to turn away. I walked around and said ``Ram, don't you recognize me? I am your best friend Murty''. With an air of resignation he replied ``Hi Murty, how are you?'' I said ``I am very happy to meet you here by chance after so many years. What happened to you during this time?'' He said ``It is a long story. I will tell you if you are interested''. And we moved towards a quiet bench and sat down. I noticed that he sat a slight distance away from me.

In college, Ram was lively and fun loving. With rounded cheeks his face always exuded a youthful glow. He loved nature, and used to be highly critical of development that involved clearing natural or wooded areas. He used to say that man-made creations such as a highway, lawns, golf courses, ski slopes, or skyscrapers are ugly when viewed against the incomparable beauty of a clump of trees or a forest. He would argue vehemently for putting a worldwide moratorium on any further human incursion into undeveloped areas.

The years have taken their toll on him. The glow in his face is replaced by a paleness, and his cheeks appeared hollow.

``You know how much I love nature. Last summer I got the chance of visiting the tropical rain forest. I rented a car and was exploring the marvelous scenery. However, by the afternoon my car developed problems. I received a painful cut in my finger while lifting the hood, which bled profusely; but could not restart the car. It was in the middle of the rain forest, and there was no other human being within sight. I did not know what to do, and began thinking how unfortunate I have been, to have my rental car fail in this place where I cannot get any help. I felt that this has taken me to the upper limit of unhappiness.

After about an hour I saw a car approaching. I flagged it down. Rolling his window, the driver asked whether I was having car trouble. He inspected my car but could not start it either. As the evening was approaching rapidly, he said ``I am afraid you have to stay here tonight. There are no hotels in the neighborhood, but my house is closely, and we have a guest room you can use. I invite you to spend the night in my house. We can call the service station tomorrow to get your car fixed''. There was no other choice, so I expressed my gratitude and accepted his invitation.

His wife greeted us when we entered his house. She was very friendly, and welcomed me with the most beautiful smile I have ever seen. Her teeth were like a row of shiny pearls, all perfectly symmetrical and absolutely faultless. Watching her round face with its light pink skin and stunning features, I just could not take my eyes off her. Within seconds we were joined by an equally beautiful younger lady, their daughter. The two ladies had a close resemblance, and looked more like two sisters than a mother and daughter. I have never seen such beautiful women before.

Darkness set in very quickly. Dinner was prepared, and we sat down to eat. I did not want to appear to be staring, but could not help stealing glances at the two gorgeous ladies. After dinner we chatted for a little while, and then they took me to the guest room and said goodnight.

As I laid down on my bed, the memory of their stunning beauty lingered in my mind as I drifted off into a light sleep. Then I was awakened by the slight click of the door latch. Someone was opening my door silently. Since it was pitch dark, I could not see who it was, so I lifted my hand towards the light switch. The visitor reached my bed with quick but quiet steps, and put her little finger very gently on my lips as if to implore me not to turn on the light or make any sound. Her finger felt so soft against my lips that I could not contain my excitement, so I grabbed her right hand and pulling her towards me tried to kiss. She hesitated, but yielded to my force. It was clear that both of us are at the peak of excitement. I whispered ``I do not want to get you in trouble. What can we do, I do not have a $\ldots$ ''. But she came fully prepared, and handed me a packet. She has taken me to the limits of ecstasy. And when it was all over, she caressed me gently on the cheek, and left the room as quietly as she came in.

I was in a state of extreme bliss. Only a few hours ago I was cursing my misfortune at my rental car not starting, and thinking that it was my moment of maximum bad luck. But that event actually lead to this most marvelous experience of my life, with the most beautiful woman on earth. I decided that this is the best thing that happened to me in life. I thought that this is an optimum situation for me, the moment of maximum happiness. And there is still a mystery, as I could not figure out whether it was the mother or the daughter.

I was still in suspense next morning at breakfast. I looked with enquiring glances, but neither mother nor daughter gave me any sign. After breakfast my host took me to the service station and made arrangements to have the car checked. It needed major repairs, and they did not have all the necessary parts. They said that they will call for the parts and complete the repair when they arrive, which may take upto a week. My host encouraged me to continue staying with them, I accepted his invitation gratefully and looked forward to the evening with eager expectation.

The same drama was repeated the second night, and each successive night. I was at the peak of my happiness, but could not resolve the mystery of whether it is the mother or the daughter. And neither of them gave any clues.

The parts arrived, and finally my car was fixed. It was time to take leave. I thanked my host profusely, and said ``I am very happy to have met all the members of your wonderful family''. My host replied ``Oh, we also have an older daughter whom you have not met. She does not come out much because of her bad health''. ``What is her problem?'' I asked. He said ``Unfortunately, she suffers from AIDS''.$\ldots \ldots$

The person in the story, Ram, yielded to a temptation leading to a short term pleasure, without checking its long term consequences. It was thrilling while it lasted, but its consequences were disastrous for the rest of his life. When viewed in the context of setting national policy, the moral of the story is that the long term effects of any action taken have to be weighed very carefully, however fantastic the short term benefits of these actions may appear to be.

My aim is to present two problems that are very critical not only in the rest of the world, but also in USA. These are: (1) High Population and its Continuing Growth, and (2) Conversion of Nice Trees Into Instant Trash. At the moment, in most of the nations in the world including the USA, these problems are just ignored by governments. This inaction is mainly due to caving in to the pressure for the short term benefit of powerful vested interests or dogmatic groups; and does not bode well for the long term interests of humanity.