Ugh. I’m still heartbroken about the poor leopard in Kruger National Park that everybody ganged up on and ran over several times. What a disgusting display of human nastiness – like a bunch of chimpanzees violently attacking another animal on a nature program (sorry to insult the chimpanzees!). What made Macho Man Imperialist Great White Hunter Guide decide to enter a wildlife preserve in an open top vehicle? They all stopped when he saw the leopard, the leopard gaffed him and wouldn’t let go – so one car ran him over, and then another dumbass in a van decided to run the poor thing over again for good measure. I didn’t watch the video, but apparently you could hear a voice yelling “Run it over!” like a lynch mob. Heartbreaking.
I don’t think we’ll need to push any buttons – the daily occurrence of Darwin award nominees means we’ll drive ourselves into extinction.
Yes, maybe we will send ourselves into catalog of evolutionary failures.
It’s something I think about, though–no human beings on this earth and what that would mean for those who are left behind: It would mean no feedlots, transport trucks, slaughter houses, laboratories, fur farms, fishing hooks, guns, and compound bows. No roaring vehicles and highways punctuated with road kill. It would mean survivors here could live without the “fear and dead” of us.
Of course, no one can argue that human beings have produced spectacular works of genius in literature, music, art, and true spiritual ideas. They have shown self-sacrifice and heroism in big ways and small. But we have also, without pause, created an earth with inequality, persecution, wars, and their ensuing misery. And if we visited that upon ourselves, we have created a greater hell for the other animals, a hell we don’t even acknowledge or repent of.
Still, we are not done with war and terror. Now we have ISIS as incarnation of our worse instincts. I hear reporters struggle to find descriptions of their murderous rampages and the “unspeakable barbarism” of the throat slitting and beheadings. Absolutely. But it is difficult not to think of all the other throat slittings and beheadings that continue on this earth every day, by the millions and by the billions, as victims are dragged to slaughter. Dare I say it? In our own way we are ISIS.
As we mentioned Darwin and evolution, here is a quote from John Livingston I love: “So far as we know, the New World produced no apelike creatures. The American primates, therefore, must be exonerated from any hint of implication in the evolution of man.”
Chimps have the embarrassment of having us as their closest living relative.
I know – I hesitated to use that comparison, but sadly, they’re stuck with us in the same family. The embarrassing cousins.
But there’s no denying that without us, the world would be a better place. Everything would have its own checks and balances, and we’ve thrown everything out of balance because of our genetic quirks like EGO.
Empires create chaos, and the U.S. imperialistic inroads upon the world attest to this. First, this nation- state worked with, & helped create Osama Bin Laden. Then, he became the Enemy, with the same video of him over and over, even after his demise. Now, it is ISIS, created by the bully, Empire of the World, to help create more crises, more discord, more violence. Makes it all very convenient to then “democratize” those countries, to become our colonies, whether for remaining resources, or for strategic military operations. The goal? Small wars (maybe large ones, too) everywhere around the world, with no end.
As climate change worsens, there will be more fighting, more instability, more chaos, less Nature, less green, less forests, less water, less….but, humans will irrationally react by having more babies, more extremist religions (as evidenced by an increase here in the U.S. of such), demanding more “security,” embracing the illusion of being “safe.” None of it will protect us from the onslaught of ecological collapse, as the “negative feedback loop” already here, really kicks in.
We can try to protect whatever natural areas remain, especially where there is water, so wildlife can hang on, at least for awhile. The climate change scenario is so complex, so much in denial by us.
Humans have no idea of what is coming: it is out of our hands. No amount of solar, wind generation, no amount of urban gardening, no fall-out shelters, will make much difference. I shudder to think of this, but we must face this reality. I am so glad I have not brought any humans into this world! I marvel that I saw 2 hummingbirds & 1 butterfly today in my garden. The time of saw many more was at least 3 yrs ago. I am sorry for what is happening to this lovely blue planet. May something in the Universe make Homo sapiens pay for what it has done.
I know. I think we can safely presume that humans are going to evolution out of existence.
I’ve let my yard ‘go wild’ a little and I’ve had a lot of butterflies (haven’t seen monarchs yet). Hummingbirds too. It’s a challenge when my neighbor sprays for gypsy moths or whatever though. Shudder! With their facemasks and spray hoses I’m reminded of chemical warfare.
Yes. Remarkable that as the supposedly “only” species capable of rational thought and moral decision making, we have created this doomsday scenario. Looking at the disaster but not seeing it, we respond by doing more of the same–more growth, more destruction of the environment, more killing. As I teenager I decided not to produce any more of the species causing the problems and to concentrate on the others we share the planet with. I regard it as my best decision.
Exposing the Big Game 
Well I’d give it a push.
Ugh. I’m still heartbroken about the poor leopard in Kruger National Park that everybody ganged up on and ran over several times. What a disgusting display of human nastiness – like a bunch of chimpanzees violently attacking another animal on a nature program (sorry to insult the chimpanzees!). What made Macho Man Imperialist Great White Hunter Guide decide to enter a wildlife preserve in an open top vehicle? They all stopped when he saw the leopard, the leopard gaffed him and wouldn’t let go – so one car ran him over, and then another dumbass in a van decided to run the poor thing over again for good measure. I didn’t watch the video, but apparently you could hear a voice yelling “Run it over!” like a lynch mob. Heartbreaking.
I don’t think we’ll need to push any buttons – the daily occurrence of Darwin award nominees means we’ll drive ourselves into extinction.
Yes, maybe we will send ourselves into catalog of evolutionary failures.
It’s something I think about, though–no human beings on this earth and what that would mean for those who are left behind: It would mean no feedlots, transport trucks, slaughter houses, laboratories, fur farms, fishing hooks, guns, and compound bows. No roaring vehicles and highways punctuated with road kill. It would mean survivors here could live without the “fear and dead” of us.
Of course, no one can argue that human beings have produced spectacular works of genius in literature, music, art, and true spiritual ideas. They have shown self-sacrifice and heroism in big ways and small. But we have also, without pause, created an earth with inequality, persecution, wars, and their ensuing misery. And if we visited that upon ourselves, we have created a greater hell for the other animals, a hell we don’t even acknowledge or repent of.
Still, we are not done with war and terror. Now we have ISIS as incarnation of our worse instincts. I hear reporters struggle to find descriptions of their murderous rampages and the “unspeakable barbarism” of the throat slitting and beheadings. Absolutely. But it is difficult not to think of all the other throat slittings and beheadings that continue on this earth every day, by the millions and by the billions, as victims are dragged to slaughter. Dare I say it? In our own way we are ISIS.
As we mentioned Darwin and evolution, here is a quote from John Livingston I love: “So far as we know, the New World produced no apelike creatures. The American primates, therefore, must be exonerated from any hint of implication in the evolution of man.”
Chimps have the embarrassment of having us as their closest living relative.
I know – I hesitated to use that comparison, but sadly, they’re stuck with us in the same family. The embarrassing cousins.
But there’s no denying that without us, the world would be a better place. Everything would have its own checks and balances, and we’ve thrown everything out of balance because of our genetic quirks like EGO.
Empires create chaos, and the U.S. imperialistic inroads upon the world attest to this. First, this nation- state worked with, & helped create Osama Bin Laden. Then, he became the Enemy, with the same video of him over and over, even after his demise. Now, it is ISIS, created by the bully, Empire of the World, to help create more crises, more discord, more violence. Makes it all very convenient to then “democratize” those countries, to become our colonies, whether for remaining resources, or for strategic military operations. The goal? Small wars (maybe large ones, too) everywhere around the world, with no end.
As climate change worsens, there will be more fighting, more instability, more chaos, less Nature, less green, less forests, less water, less….but, humans will irrationally react by having more babies, more extremist religions (as evidenced by an increase here in the U.S. of such), demanding more “security,” embracing the illusion of being “safe.” None of it will protect us from the onslaught of ecological collapse, as the “negative feedback loop” already here, really kicks in.
We can try to protect whatever natural areas remain, especially where there is water, so wildlife can hang on, at least for awhile. The climate change scenario is so complex, so much in denial by us.
Humans have no idea of what is coming: it is out of our hands. No amount of solar, wind generation, no amount of urban gardening, no fall-out shelters, will make much difference. I shudder to think of this, but we must face this reality. I am so glad I have not brought any humans into this world! I marvel that I saw 2 hummingbirds & 1 butterfly today in my garden. The time of saw many more was at least 3 yrs ago. I am sorry for what is happening to this lovely blue planet. May something in the Universe make Homo sapiens pay for what it has done.
http://www.foranimals.org
I know. I think we can safely presume that humans are going to evolution out of existence.
I’ve let my yard ‘go wild’ a little and I’ve had a lot of butterflies (haven’t seen monarchs yet). Hummingbirds too. It’s a challenge when my neighbor sprays for gypsy moths or whatever though. Shudder! With their facemasks and spray hoses I’m reminded of chemical warfare.
Yes. Remarkable that as the supposedly “only” species capable of rational thought and moral decision making, we have created this doomsday scenario. Looking at the disaster but not seeing it, we respond by doing more of the same–more growth, more destruction of the environment, more killing. As I teenager I decided not to produce any more of the species causing the problems and to concentrate on the others we share the planet with. I regard it as my best decision.
Thanks, ahimsa, for quoting the great John A. Livingston!!