beyond the natural mind – a 21 day manifesto
Day Fourteen
“Today I will start to realise that I, and the planet I inhabit, live in fragile balance. That I would destroy it with my callous actions, becomes unthinkable to me.”
Ecosystem
“a community of living organisms (plants, animals and microbes) in conjunction with the non-living components of their environment (things like air, water and mineral soil), interacting as a system”
I think it’s fair to think of the world having at least two separate ecosystems – the human ecosystem, and the natural world ecosystem.
Our ecosystem is comprised of humans working in banking, agriculture, design, technology, construction, medicine, transportation, forestry, mining, business, criminality, government, security, medicine, waste disposal, industrial production, the arts, management, data processing, hospitality, and customer service to name but a few. The natural world ecosystem does other unrelated stuff.
So now we understand. We do our thing, they do theirs, and as long as what the natural world lot do doesn’t affect us, then the world will remain in balance. The end.
Balance
“A harmonious or satisfying arrangement or proportion of parts or elements”
“An influence or force tending to produce equilibrium; counterpoise.”
Me: “What do you understand the word balance to mean?”
You: “Well, for me, it’s all about having a balanced lifestyle. I work hard, but I also eat healthily, drink moderate amounts of alcohol, go to the gym regularly, and I always make sure I have plenty of time for my family.”
Me: “Sounds very balanced, thank you for your input.”
What I Do – The Earth
I am the Earth, I have an axial tilt of approximately 23.4 degrees and it takes me 365 days to orbit the sun. When my northern pole is tilted towards the sun it is warmer, and when tilted away it is colder. This dear readers results in what you know as seasons. If I did not have this specific degree of tilt, your world would look very different.
Who knows what you would get! I might have huge areas of ice (where your office and gym used to be) or huge areas of barren desert (where you used to holiday in the tropics).
My friend the sun is approximately 150 million miles away depending on what time of year it is, which might seem like a long way away, but trust me, you wouldn’t want him to get much closer, as he has a temperature of about 6,000 degrees Celsius. That being said, if he was any further away photosynthesis couldn’t happen, and there wouldn’t be any life on this planet, so bang goes your healthy diet and balanced lifestyle.
I keep you all safe from harm from my overheating friend by stopping the nasty ultraviolet radiation, warming the surface through heat retention, and reducing temperature extremes between day and night, so you can get on with making money.
If you haven’t already noticed, I have quite a lot of water in what you call oceans, but not too much! If I was covered in water with no land how would you conquer other countries?
Thanks to my friend the rain there is enough water for every living organism on the planet, and for your bottled water you take to the gym.
Sorry, what was the point I was trying to make?
Oh yes. Everything was fine until you lot turned up, and if I sound a little disgruntled you’ll have to forgive me.
I know your job in the army, or the office, or whatever you do is important, but I’m starting not to enjoy my job. You are making it increasingly difficult.
You see the natural world ecosystem as something external to you, but for me, the one with the job of keeping the whole show on the road, it’s all one.
When I started this project I had just the right amount of animals, insects, fish, trees, plants, oceans, land, and even allowed for large variations in each of these over time. Everything was perfect! Bloody Humans!
I think we’ve heard enough from the Earth, don’t you!? There’s always someone complaining about us humans. Hasn’t the Earth got anything better to do!
But at least one of the things he said made a bit sense to me, “…it’s all one.” That’s strange, because most people always divide the Earth into humans on one side, everything else on the other, when actually we live in a tightly connected world. Every action has a reaction.
“I need to walk a path from one side to the field to the other, but across the whole field are tiny flowers. They won’t know I’m walking on them.
They don’t have a consciousness. It’s only a few flowers after all.”
“How will I know if I am keeping the world in balance or destroying the balance? What job will I do that keeps the world in balance? How do I live a life that keeps the world in balance? I like my lifestyle, I like my job. In fact, stuff the world,the I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing. I bet no one else is having to think about this. I’m not going to read any more.”
Whether you read on or not, the Earth is still trying to balance a simple equation, made complex with the variable no super being could ever have dreamed of: “Modern Man”.
Why would anyone create a species which has become a parasite, a blight on an otherwise perfect creation? And Modern Man has become a parasite, no question about it. If you wish to argue the point of being a parasite, please write a letter to the Earth detailing your reasons.
Parasite
“An organism that lives in or on another organism (its host) and benefits by deriving nutrients at the host’s expense.”
Modern Man has become somewhat of an environmental conservationist. Righting wrongs and restoring balance where he sees fit.
Just this week it was reported that 3000 reindeer are to be shot as they have become a threat to the environment of the small island of South Georgia. In 1911 ten reindeer were brought to the island by whalers (people hunting whales) as a source of fresh meat.
Over the last hundred years they have happily procreated, but according to us, we need to protect the island and the King Penguins there.
It was reported that “most of the animals will be slaughtered with a bolt gunshot to the head. However, those in remote areas, or those near penguins where stampeding reindeer could trample birds, will be shot by rifles.”
Even a World Wildlife Foundation spokesman said the cull (murder) “is the kind of action that’s needed from time to time to correct previous mistakes”.
We cause a problem and then try and fix it by murdering millions of animals worldwide, depending on our view of which species is invasive, which needs saving, which needs controlling, and has as much to do with money as conservation.
After all, who is the biggest threat to the planet? Maybe, with seven billion humans invading and trampling the whole planet, it’s time for a cull?
But you are horrified to read that aren’t you? Cull (murder) millions of humans to save the planet? What if it got to a point where certain nations were consuming so much and leaving nothing for you. What would you do? Would you argue that all human life is sacred and must be preserved?
It doesn’t seem to stop people from killing each other. So let’s not fool ourselves that we value all human life. We don’t. In fact, we only value life when it suits us.
We kill billions of animals and fish so we can gorge ourselves on their flesh. We tear up millions of trees and millions of acres of forests. We pollute our rivers and oceans, and we dig and drill to fuel or adorn our balanced lifestyles.
Let’s face it, whether we assign ourselves a god given right to be here, as the most dominant species, we are in fact a parasite on this Earth, and we won’t be content until we have used or destroyed every last piece of it.
Several years ago I began to think that perhaps Modern Man doesn’t belong on this Earth at all. And when I say Modern Man, I am talking about the species homo sapiens of which I am a part. I began to realise that all I have contributed to the Earth was to take, which is not a contribution at all.
No other species has been around for such a short time, yet, has a death wish to destroy himself and his fellow man and destroy his home. Not much of a lifestyle choice is it?
You may not think you are part of the parasitic species homo sapiens, and if you are disgusted by your actions as much as I was, then perhaps it’s time for those who want to help the Earth in its job of keeping everything in balance to stand apart from those who are content to let themselves, and their fellow man, self-destruct; to stand apart from those whose actions are destroying the only known planet which gives us life, without asking for one thing in return; to stand apart from those who would kill every animal and fish in the name of being a flesh eater; to stand apart from those who place their own desires above all else.
To those people I say that you are well on the way to showing that there is a species of human that is prepared to stand up for our only home…Earth.
I look forward to meeting you one day.
by alan macmillan orr
2012
