Thanks for reading, thinking, (hopefully enjoying or being disturbed) and critiquing...I value your thoughts. This is a synthesis of several years of online discussions with loads of fun people...so, I'm pretty sure I right, but you tell me!
Of course, some armchair shrinks out there may feel I'm simply rationalizing my decision not to have kids...you be the judges!
REALITY NOW!
In the beginning, the Universe happened because it could.
- A long time later, Life happened because it could.
Evolution, over another really long time, led to Humans AND developing alongside every step of the way, Human Culture!!!
- Culture is useful to overcome or ignore Nature's limits
o Language let us learn from other's mistakes
o Fire extended our day, kept us safer at night, killed bugs while processing food!
o Clothing allowed us to extend our range
o Mathematics and Physics got us to the moon, etc.
Our Culture is incredibly successful, it made us invincible!
- Essentially there are no predators left!
(90% fewer sharks in the world than in 1987!)
- We've eliminated diseases or lessened the effects
- Most people eat more than once per day
- Infants survive to childhood almost everywhere
- Life spans are double what they were 350 years ago.
- We eat strawberries in January…flown in from Chile
- We exist in every environment on the planet
However, the entirety of the effects of Human Culture on the world around us cannot allow us to use it to simply ignore or "work around" Nature anymore.
Human Activities now are widespread and dramatic enough to affect the operation of Nature's Systems...with chaotic, long term, and potentially hazardous consequences!
Here is just one example: Human Cultural Activities (driving cars, burning coal, etc.) HAVE ALREADY changed the nature of the chemistry of the atmosphere. Thanks to inertia of the the atmospheric and oceanic systems, and the ability to "soak up" some of the disruption, the effects are only beginning to be observed...
As the title of this note suggests...now that we've broken it, we are responsible for making it operate, and the incentive is our very survival!
The question is:
Humans: We're proved ourselves smart enough to dominate nature, but are we wise enough to MANAGE Nature?
o We'll find out in the next 100 years or less!
For Humans to survive,
Culture MUST shift
INTENTIONALLY
from domination of Nature
to maintenance of Nature.
Immediately
THE FRISH COROLLARY:
I know of NO REASON why anything stated above is incorrect.
Unless one were extremely optimistic about the nature of large groups of humans to make wise decisions, quickly, and over multiple generations...one wouldn't have children.
It's the fourth most radical environmental group in the world!
http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/offbeat-news/top-4-environmental-extremist-groups/742
This is not depressing. It is REALITY NOW!
Therefore, I wish you the VHEMT Motto: Live Long and Die Out!
Please share if you dare with others who might care (or be upset). Comments are eagerly anticipated.
And, remain childfree if you are!
