Agent Smith – The Matrix
A wise agent once said, “Human beings are a disease, a cancer of this planet.”
In recent centuries, humanity has spread like a virus, consuming vast quantities of forest, fresh water, topsoil, minerals and petroleum.
The Earth has activated her immune system and is attempting to rid herself of humanity with high fever (global warming, drought), cough (hurricanes, tornadoes) and excess mucus (precipitation, flooding).
This cancer has reached stage IV and now even the Earth’s organs (Amazon deforestation, Great Pacific garbage patch, melting glaciers) are under attack.
Like HIV or Ebola, could we end up killing the host which sustains us?
The human population has grown from one billion people to seven billion people in less than 200 years. This multiplication would not have been possible without the discovery of oil. It’s derivatives, fertilizers and pesticides, have increased farming yields astronomically sustaining this population explosion.
What goes up must come down?
The problem is that oil is a non-renewable resource and no matter how much we frack the planet, one day we will deplete it. When oil becomes scarce, how will we continue to produce a sufficient amount of food to feed our staggering population?
We have been so short-sighted as to purposefully design products to break down quickly, in order to keep revenues up and the economy growing. We have become an excessively wasteful society.
We are pushing the planet to its limits.
We live in an unsustainable monster economy that must continue to grow exponentially or the whole thing implodes in on itself. But how can we keep growing to infinity on a planet that has finite resources?
Besides, what good is money if we don’t have a clean and healthy world to spend it in?
We need a sustainable economy in which we have a plan to recycle every resource we take from the planet. We need to be in balance with the Earth, with a stable population. I believe this is possible, without going back to the caveman days. We just need to adjust our values.
What can we do as individuals?
- Have two or fewer children
- Buy higher quality products that will last a long time, even though they’re more expensive
- Eat local and organic food whenever possible, even though it’s more expensive
- Live in a small, efficient dwelling
- Ride a bike, walk, or take public transit. Use a car sharing service if necessary.
- Recycle. Use a site like Craigslist to give away items rather than throwing them in a landfill.
Is this an attack on freedom?
What if someone wants to have three children, a couple Hummers, a mansion and an island in the Caribbean?
Follow these ideas if you agree that we need to respect our planet and live within boundaries. Do not attack others if they live excessive lifestyles. Violence will not cause people to change, but rather empower them to fight back. Set a good example, try to find the truth, and have faith that others will follow suit.