Deviating slightly from the subject of cats, although this does affect cats too of course. Two quotes on another article inspired me to write this one. Michael wrote:
‘My personal and rather strange opinion on this matter is that humans have evolved too far. We have become too introspective and are unable to live in the moment and therefore become over analytical and ultimately depressed because we cannot find a reason for living. For this reason eventually humans will die out and the planet will revert to the way it was, a better world’
and Caroline wrote:
‘What has happened due to our ignorance and arrogance in thinking that we are the “ultimate” species is deplorable’
How I agree with them both! I’d also add selfishness to ignorance and arrogance. Animals were never meant for us to use and abuse, yet they are, in many ways, such as for entertainment, to experiment on and bred to be eaten by humans, born especially to die prematurely, how terrible is that!
‘Food’ animals are fed grain to fatten them up ready to be eaten by meat eaters, it takes 16lbs of grain to produce just 1lb of animal flesh. That grain would feed the starving millions in the world.
There are 7 billion people in the world and 840 million of them are going hungry. Is it right that some people should live off the fat of the land and others starve? I don’t think it is!
Doing a little bit more research I came up with many statistics, but will just quote a few because statistics can be misleading as well as quite boring to some people.
There are 905 extinct species of animals¹ or maybe more.
70 million people are born in this world every year and 55 million die. This is a very interesting link. So no wonder ever breeding humans are taking over the planet, no wonder the habitat of many animals, birds and fish is being destroyed to house and feed the expanding human race and it will get worse!
We are polluting the very atmosphere and using up all the planet’s resources, it can only end with the destruction of it unless human beings are wiped out before that happens. I think this will happen, because not enough of us care, what can we do if all humans don’t stop and think and try to save the earth too? It’s too late already!
I saw a programme on TV about astronauts living on a space station, looking for a new planet for when this one can’t sustain humans any longer, a new planet for us to eventually destroy as we have this one!
As Michael says, we have evolved too far and as Caroline says thinking we are the ultimate species is deplorable.
One day planet Earth will return to the animals, Nature will take care of them, things will be as they should, unless humans evolve here again, maybe they will, who knows? Or maybe the theory of evolution and the religious belief of creation by God are both wrong.
Take one of my flights of fantasy with me. Maybe in the beginning, two human beings came from another planet exhausted of resources, to live on Earth, a male and a female, bringing with them a male and a female of each animal, bird and fish species. Maybe when another planet is found able to sustain life, a male and a female human being will be sent there with a male and a female of each species of animal, bird and fish.
Will those people have learned by the mistakes made and listen to Mother Nature? Or in millions of year’s time will that planet also be exhausted of enough supplies to sustain human life and will those people in the far distant future be looking for yet another planet?
Is all life a never ending circle of moving from planet to planet in the realms of space?
Ruth aka Kattaddorra
Refs:
- endangeredspeciesinternational.org
I’ve seen ‘Earthlings’ and yes it is very disturbing. We truly are inferior to other species but most of us don’t think so because we have the power over them all, but everyone can’t see the truth.
But going by the comments here so far it seems hopeful that cat loving people can see the truth, but it’s sad that there’s nothing we can do, it’s too late and there are too few of us.
lol Marc I loved your description of our big bobbly heads but you are so right in all you say and I don’t think we were meant to evolve as we have and this is why childbirth is so painful, we are born with our heads too big physically and mentally. We think we are the most important species on the planet but in reality it could and it will go on without us and be a much better place.
I agree with this entirely.
Actually I would say that human development was just an accident. I don’t thik we were mean’t to have all this physical power.
I also think we need to start dying. We need to realize that it’s also nice to go and leave nothing behind. The last favour we can all really do for this planet is to leave quietly.
When I say that to people it depresses them.
For me it is just melancholy. Basically it’s rather sad and beautiful at the same time. I believe it is true and correct though. The best I can do here is to do very little. Not work too hard because capitalism and work are what is destroying this place first and foremost. The more we have to work the sooner the world will end. Why doesn’t anybody get that.
There is alot of integrity in working less, not having children, not having 2 extra bedrooms, not having an extra car ……I could go on. We need to be small.
Yet most of the world is still trying to be big. They can’t see the failure of it even though it’s staring them in the face. Which basically proves that enlightenment is a process. You can’t take short cuts. You have to be an asshole until you learn not to be for example. You can’t suddenly wake up and be a nice good person. First you have to be such a dick that it comes back at you ad you regret it.
In other words we are doomed simply because there are too many people who have too much of a process to go through and the planet can’t support.
I don’t believe this planet was meant to be used as it is by us. It has feelings and it lives and breathes in a sense. I would be well pissed off at having to be a psychiatrist for an entire species of evil cancer like organisms who want to kill me. We really are rock bottom low. We invented low, we invented nightmares, we invented jealousy, we invented all these things we claim to be disenchanted by.
I think we would be much better in every way if we had much smaller brains and if we weren’t so bloody ugly. Humans, compared to most animals, especially when small, are revolting creatures to look at. We don’t have much fur, we have big bobbly heads ad walk on two legs. We are pretty nasty looking compared to most other mammals. Hyenas are pretty ugly too. Just my two 🙂
Ruth- a very timely post.
We are nothing but an arrogant species and very inferior to many animals that share the planet with us.
Do we have the exquisite sense of smell that dogs and cats have? Can we see an incredible range of colors like birds? Can we go underwater and communicate with clicks and sonar? Heck no. We are very inferior in so many ways.
I just watched “Planet of the Apes” and “Return of the Planet of the Apes” the other night. Astounding and very prophetic. We are killing the planet with our lust for weath and greed. What we are doing to wild horses that graze on Government lands is outrageous. But we will pay dearly- our cities will soon disappear under the sea.
If you want to see a magnificent film- it is about an hour long- beautifully done- but very disturbing watch it at http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/earthlings/
We all are Earthlings..but the human race is far from superior.
Have readers seen the movie “PLANET OF THE APES” in which late actor Chalton.Heston played the main role of the “Human Species” ? Charlton.Heston also played epic biblical roles of Moses and Benhur. Please see this film which is frighteningly scary although produced decades ago.We humans are really in danger of destroying our own living Planet as “Global warming” and gradual extinction of species is proving.Can the same be reversed ?
The most famous person to support what you say in your article is David Attenborough, perhaps the best-known biologist and television presenter in the world. About a year ago he called humankind a disease that was spreading across the planet.
If you look at the world as a whole the human race does look a bit like a disease, ever expanding, ever using up the resources of the planet without paying heed to the long-term consequences or being unable to coordinate ourselves sufficiently to protect the planet for future generations.
You quoted me from a comment and that quote is rather extravagant perhaps but I have believed it for a while. There is something amiss at the heart of humankind. We are unhappy in general with our lot. We’re dissatisfied and we can’t seem to become satisfied. When you compare our behaviour to that of the planet’s other creatures (which we call animals) it does look bizarre and unnatural.
The calm predictability of animal behaviour even when it includes the killing of other animals seem so much more obvious and natural compared to our manic search for a reason to live.
Religion was created by people to try and make life more tolerable. You can see that it has failed abjectly because all it has done is create more conflict.