How much lumber or wood we need to ready a house? Roughly two cubic meters! How do we get it? "Destroy about 10 mature leafy trees, stop the release of 5000 kg oxygen per annum into atmosphere, suffocate at least 100 people or animals, scare scores of birds to fly off, chase many a number of mammals and reptiles out of, and decimate millions or billions of tiny creatures!" Now we are content that doors, windows, panels and furnishings are ready. Is transforming the lively natural set-up into a dead one our achievement? ..... But many call it civilization or development!
How much iron or steel we need to ready a house? Roughly three tonnes! How do we get it? "Employ about 50 miners to toil, turn several square metres of soil infertile, asphyxiate or poison millions of fish in nearby ponds or rivers and saturate the air with plenty of dust". 30 tons of mined dirt is ready! "Now burn half a ton of coal up to 1000 degrees Celsius. Another opportunity to add some more dust, carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide and sulphur oxide fumes to the pristine air". Steel bars or rods are now ready! The transport of raw materials from excavation site to refining site and then to delivery site is an another nightmare. This adds fuel to the already burning piles of pollutants. The same kind of saga with respect to aluminium, burnt bricks, cement, ceramics, copper, glass, plastics, synthetics, tiles and so on. Don't worry. Our houses are ready. As big as they are that much we are called developed and consequently respected in the society. Don't think about others! Otherwise we will be called common men. Won't we?
But nature lovers and saints don't want animals or people to suffer. Even if we call them poor or underdeveloped, they don't tolerate any kind of damage to our body organs! They don't want even a few to breathe polluted air, drink non-potable water and eat contaminated food. They believe that reduction in construction sizes would definitely reduce intolerable bad effects of mining, refining and transport, and thereby reducing the trauma of life.
Small sized houses occupy less ground area to suffocate or moralize subterranean creatures. They also let considerable spongy soil around to absorb naturally distilled rain water, besides accommodating a plenty of trees, birds and animals. They have less wall surfaces as substrata for harmful bacteria, fungi and viruses. No doubt, less requirement of poisonous paints too. Less consumption of electricity, water and maintenance. They facilitate frequent stepping of dwellers into natural surroundings out of the choking indoor pollution!
Nature lovers and saints prefer small and simple houses to reduce the impact of deforestation, mining and transport on vegetation, animals and human beings! That's how broad minded people think. Great people think in great way. "Live and let live" is the philosophy of their lives. Transferring the wholesome nature to the future generations, for their peaceful, free and healthy living, is the ultimate goal! Simplest person is safest both to nature and society. If we want to keep about 90% corruption and pollution at a bay, we've to tread the path of these pious people. Where the narrow minds try to control destruction and pollution superficially the broad minds are there to pull out the root causes abysmally!