I want to be outside today. On an open, slightly worn, tar road with mountain terrain all around me. A field of dry brown prairie grass leading up to the mountains: inviting in their own way. The road bifurcating the mountains allowing me to pass through. Am I cycling or am I hiking? Am I alone or with my four-legged companion? Do I have a destination or am I wandering? I’m not sure. All I can picture in my mind is the open road, the green splotches on the mountains, the dry prairie grass, and my lungs full of fresh oxygen. I want to be outside today.
But here I am sitting at this table, inside this house, on this cul de sac, in this suburb, on a Tuesday afternoon with all the windows open to optimize air flow into the house as much as possible. How I wish I could be walking along that open road right now though. The smell of the outdoors: free from contaminants of modern civilization. Oh how I wish I was on that open road right now. The nearest human habitat would be miles away. To think that that was how humans used to live; the abundance of land that was present unaltered by man. What a thought! How far we have come! What will this mountain terrain look like in a few hundred years?
I presume as technology grows agriculture will be developed to not require lateral land. Instead large skyscraper type buildings that project into the sky will be growing all of our required plants. The open lands will then be converted into housing, business complexes, and many more required infrastructure projects as the population increases. Will we lose most of nature? Maybe there will be designated locations that will remain the same such as parts of the Himalayas, Niagara Falls, and selected areas of Yellowstone. But will most of it have to succumb to the requirements of man? Is it something we can avoid? Is it even ethical to avoid such a thing when demand for land developments increase and, if not met, threaten survival of certain human populations?
The reality is, it is already happening. Millions of acres of forests are being cleared every month. The most devastatingly public case is currently in the Amazon. Fires are being used to clear parts of the vast rain forest that supplies more than 20% of the total oxygen in the world. In our current situation we cannot afford to lose trees and naturally cultivated land areas due to underdeveloped climate control technology and the fact that we are in a climate crisis. But once technology catches up to address the needs of the climate crisis, will we still need those lands? Will we come to a point where there is not a public need for forests?
Most people fear the loss of forests because it equates to less oxygen which is threatening to their lives directly. Not due to some altruistic goal of saving nature. So if we come to a point where trees are genetically modified to provide 100 times the current oxygen output and are grown in greenhouses that are taller than the Burj Khalifa, will we still extend the same remorse and care towards the Amazon? I presume no. But what about the lives of species? The hundreds of thousands of animals that rely on the life of the forest for their own survival? Well, they will either be like most of the animals since the beginning of multi-cellular life who go extinct due to some outside reason or will be protected in small populations under tight human control such as Saolas and Malayan Tigers. I don’t think the vast majority of humans extend that much courtesy towards animals they don’t interact with on a daily basis or find extremely endearing. But, you say no! You want to protect the animals! You want something to look at when you go to the zoo! What about bees? They are integral pollinators that are critical in the survival of plant reproduction. When is the last time someone has really sought to understand the nature of the bee shortage problem let alone take any form of action on it?
I am guilty in this matter too, don’t mistake me. Humans don’t really pay attention to problems that don’t directly affect us immediately. We lack holistic, long-term, foresight. But we are the first to complain when we identify a problem whether or not it was caused by our past actions. In all, we forget the past too easily, disregard planning for our long-term future, and rely on momentary occupations that just take us on a flow to things sometimes satisfying, other times not so much, but usually never fulfilling. The environment is just one part of our daily interactions that we don’t extend that much thought into because we are often occupied with many other things. Rightfully so! We have kids, family, work, personal interests. So many facets in our life that require our attention. It can be impossible to have enough time to also care deeply about the future of human civilization and how it interacts with the outside world and take action on a cause we believe in.
But we don’t have to. You see most of the growth in civilization came from thought which led to experimentation which led to new technology that pushed the human race forward. If you can partake in one step in this process, then you have played a great role in the growth of the human civilization. You can spread one idea or a stance on an idea that relates to the future of human civilization and the world it interacts with that you deeply care about to your friends, family, colleagues, neighbors, or social media followers after doing reasonable research and thinking into it (due diligence is required in matters of such importance, wouldn't you agree?). Or you can join an ongoing experiment of an idea seeking social validation that wants to push the world forward. For some that could be buying the product of an innovative company that isn’t widely used yet (think PCs or mobile phones before they became as ubiquitous as they are and when they were the cost of a small car today. That initial money helped the companies develop them and get the PC and Mobile phone industry to where they are today). For others that could be being part of the workforce at a company that is doing it’s part to push the human race forward (think scientists at pharmaceutical companies that are developing ingenious cures to diseases such as AIDS). And lastly, probably the hardest, you can act on an idea or thought and seek to be at the forefront of change you deem necessary.
You can push a revolution, product, idea, or methodology to the masses. Anyone can. But few do because few find the passion and commitment necessary within their deeper hearts. That is not to say only those few are the cause of real change; quite the opposite; a single person cannot bring about extraordinary change no matter what movies, books, or stories tell you. You need a group of people. You need the leader, you need the supporters, and you need the opposition. If you don’t have the time or unequivocal passion to be a leader, at least be a part of the supporters or the opposition. The supporters provide the currency needed for the leader to move forward with their plans and to act on their ideas. Without the supporters, the leader is nothing. The opposition provides the hurdles necessary for the leader and supporters to overcome, grow stronger, and get recognized. Without the opposition, change will never happen because causes would not grow strong enough. It doesn’t matter where you fit in this dynamic because wherever you are, you are leading to change. So find a cause and enlist yourself in one of those groups wholeheartedly.
In the end, no matter how long it takes, the good side will win. The vast majority of people know in their hearts what is morally right and the vast majority of causes have a definite morally right and wrong side. During the evaluation of the cause, both sides think they are morally right, but at the end, we come to find that the side which was logically moral wins and that it had more support than the other side. But without the other side, this victory would not be important, in fact, people wouldn’t even begin to give it thought. So the opposition and supporters are equally as important for change to occur. Which is why it is imperative that you take your position in one of those groups. It does not matter where you stand. Just take something you believe in and stand for it. And wherever you stand, just know that you are helping make the world a better place; because the world always changes for the better when you stand for something you believe in.
