"Man is the only creature that consumes without producing. He does not give milk, he does not lay eggs, he is too weak to pull the plough, he cannot run fast enough to catch rabbits. Yet he is lord of all animals."

"Man is the only real enemy we have."

--Animal Farm, George Orwell.

To put it simply, we are greedy, selfish and destroy the very thing that gives us life. You're probably thinking now that not all human beings are that greedy or selfish. That there are bright stars amongst the crows, that there are people out there who try their best to rectify the mistakes of the rest of Mankind.

But, therein lies our problem, the root of it all. Allow me to explain. What problems does the Earth suffer from now? Let's see; deforestation, soil erosion, drought, pollution, lack of water, land fills, just to name a few. And who, or what caused these problems? There's no need to ponder over the answer to this question, it's obviously staring you in the face---Mankind.

We mined too deep, cut down too many forests, invented too many things, and think the world revolves around us, not the other way around.

Let's go back a thousand years in time. The year is 1003. The car was invented in the late nineteenth century, thus we are able to conclude that air pollution had not begun then.

However, before you refute me with a sardonic stare, allow me to continue.

It is because Mankind was allowed to progress that we began wounding the Earth, and in effect, ourselves. Don't you see? A thousand years ago, all was fine and good. We killed animals, but only for food, and clothing, nothing else. Even then, the population of the Earth was insignificant compared to what it is now, but that is besides the point. In the beginning, we only hunted for animals when we needed to eat. We lived with Nature then, we did not try and tame it. We only took minimal amounts of wood from the forests, and only then when we needed to start a fire. But, it only takes one person to start a chain reaction, like it only takes a single spark to light a fire.

Let's presume one person began inventing things to improve the quality of living, then wouldn't others follow too?

Now, I'm not saying that that is wrong, what I'm trying to say is that, why didn't they think before they put those things to use? What ever happened to looking before you leaped? Sure, you might improve the lives of the human race with this ingenius invention of yours, but have you ever thought about the chain reaction it might spark off? Or the amount of pollution it might produce? I guess not. Most of us don't bother, do we? After all, we say, the Earth isn't going to explode or implode within my lifetime, and go on with our business.

We don't seem to be aware that even our very living causes harm to the Earth, do we?

Say you use the toilet, take a shower. All that uses water and paper, two essential resources of everyday life! What about cooking? That uses gas, which is running out dammit! And the car? Quite obviously, it pollutes the environment.

We call rainforests the 'lungs of the Earth'. Have you ever thought about why that is so? Or is it just another definition you can use to pass your exams with? Trees help recycle and produce oxygen and rain for all living things on the Earth...now, say some wealthy first-world investor comes along and sees those hundred-year old trees. What is the first thing that comes to his mind? Why, money of course! So, he sets the third-world people to work, cutting down those trees that have lived for hundreds of years, not causing harm to anyone, just doing their parts to help the Earth. Of course, they will willingly do his bidding, because this earns them money, and money will help the economy. But in the process of earning money, they will destroy habitats, kill animals, plants and possibly bring some animals to extinction.

Oh yes, speaking of extinction, let us move to zoos. Yes, zoos are probably like comfortable homes to the animals living there, but have you ever wondered why animals are built for the wild? Perhaps this is because they are supposed to have that amount of exercise, for all that it tires them out, and sometimes leaves them unable to pull down their prey. They were meant to be that way. That was the way Nature made them, that was the way they were supposed to stay. Many of the animals in zoos are endangered ones. Now, suppose the animals mate and reproduce, wouldn't it be ironic if their young were taught to hunt by humans, then hunted down again by the same poachers and hunters that was the reason why their parents were placed in zoos in the first place?

It is like some sick and cruel joke, rather like the gladiators of Rome, fighting, surviving, then being killed by the same hand that trained them. I almost feel like laughing.

Nowadays, you also hear phrases like reforestation, cloning, seeding and the like. They are all meant to help revive the Earth's ailing environment. Again, isn't it all rather ironic? The only reason we thought of reforestation is because we cut down trees for money. The only reason people want to clone animals is because they want to see if they can revive already-extinct creatures, playing the part of God. The only reason seeding was discovered was because large areas of land are turning into barren deserts because of over-farming.

But, even if you plant trees now, grow plants now, clone animals now, it won't be the same. That element of wildness is missing...it's like trying to recreate something that has disappeared a long time ago. The trees may not be as sturdy because they've been propped up by human hands, and planted by us. They did not have to battle winds and other dangers to get to the spot on which they are standing, they did not have to fight for nutrients or try and dig out a small niche for itself. Oh no, because we will do everything, the trees won't have the same tenacity of their forefathers. You can't tear down a century-old castle or ruin an old painting, then build a new castle, or paint the same picture using modern technology. It may look the same, but it won't be, because we're trying to rush things, escalate things, in order that we might rectify the mistakes we have made before it's too late.

This place was built to last dammit, and now, while our lifespan is increasing, we may just live to see the Earth as a barren desert. Why couldn't we have just adapted, dammit?

last - next