The Things We Value
Why Conservationists Should Be More Popular Than Self-Help Promoters
We are all on a train — the same train. Sure, we sit in different cars, and we don’t all experience a simultaneous view of the landscape. Some of us don’t even have a window seat — completely oblivious to the outside world.
Those near the front of the train pass by a mountain before those in the rear. Those on the left side experience a different version than those on the right. Some of us sit in first class and have no idea of the plight of those in the economy and freight sections.
But make no mistake, it’s the same train, with each of us headed to the same destination.
That’s one way I think of Mother Earth, as a vehicle that propels us through space. We are at the mercy of forces much larger than ourselves.
Another way I think of Mother Earth is as a living, breathing organism — one that we are an integral part of — but that doesn’t need us for survival.
You’ll hear us environmentalists say that the earth does, in fact, need us, and to a certain extent, that is true. We are at a tipping point for life as we have known it for many species, including our own. Ultimately, however, the earth can exist if we push our own species to extinction.
So when we say that she needs us, please remember that we aren’t speaking only altruistically on behalf of all other species. There is an enormous amount of self-interest here.
And shouldn’t there be? Especially if you are someone who reproduces and have offspring who will need to live on the earth, self-preservation ought to be a component wired into your operating system.
So what’s going wrong with humans? Why are we largely involved in the short-term game?
There is a ton of speculation regarding why we continue to mindlessly consume. Too much for a short blog piece. But it’s a question I wanted to leave you with, nonetheless. And as is typical of me, throughout the piece, I will present you with portraits of other precious earth-dwellers that we’ve nearly annihilated with our choices.
I follow myriad topics on Medium, and like many, have a great interest in personal development, growth, learning, and how to live better for my own happiness, and with the earth.
One thing I’ve noticed is that compared to the “self-help” topics — which range from very personal pieces to entrepreneurial ones — conservation and other long-term goals receive very little traffic. We just don’t seem to be as nearly as popular.
I do, however, think that we will be — someday.
I just hope that someday isn’t too late. I hope it doesn’t finally occur when we are scrambling about dealing with the environmental impact of our choices trying to figure out how to save our property, our livelihoods, and our lives.
It’s very difficult, I understand, to believe many of the things that scientists tell us will occur, notably when our public political figures squabble over climate science. I think it is important to note that big money is involved here and making change isn’t that easy for some, especially when they believe their pocketbooks will be impacted.
It’s a big freight train, and it is speeding ahead. That’s tough to stop.
But I still believe we can.
Maybe in your individual lives you can begin to find one or two changes that could be made to decrease your carbon footprint. Start small rather than biting off a chunk.
I hate to imagine the consequences if we don’t begin to realize that we are on this train together.
Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh likens the human species to chickens in a cage fighting over pieces of food, not realizing that they are all about to be slaughtered.
While I hate to sound fatalistic — because I do not take that viewpoint — I do mean to sound serious. We spend so much money and time on personal development that is geared towards happiness and growth of our businesses.
I really believe that we need to consider how we will feel about ourselves if we leave our children and grandchildren with a world in which they cannot survive. I suspect that would very much impact our personal happiness.
Since it is not immediately knocking on our door, I realize it might not carry as much weight as the personal happiness and fulfillment words so often written on Medium. And it might not seem as important as “growing your business.”
But it should.
I submit that we simply cannot be an intelligent species while mindlessly consuming our way to extinction. There is nothing intelligent about that.
We need to begin to take a longer viewpoint regarding our happiness, what is real, and what is important, because every single day what used to be the “long-term view” becomes shorter and shorter.
While it may not feel immediate, I assure you it is imminent.
Let’s band together for ourselves, our offspring, other species, and our precious great Mother. We can do this. We’ve just got to be willing to examine the issues from a different perspective. That would be the intelligent thing to do.
And I want my epitaph to read more than this:
“She was here. She consumed. She died. And so did many others, because she lived.”
FB: @artofeliewolf
