Our One And Only Earth Essay, Research Paper

In a chapter (Evil from Cosmic Risk) from the book, The Universe is a Green Dragon there are a lot of things presented for us as humans to take in. All of our nuclear wastes and plastics are described as violence striking against the earth?s surface killing off a different species every twenty minutes (Swimme 73). Why can?t we just fit in like all the other animals? They adapted to the cycles of the earth and have been able to preserve it more effectively then humans. They don?t pollute the oceans, destroy the skies, or pile up the trash on the ground. What will it take for us to figure out that this may be our only chance to preserve the earth. After this environment is environment and all natural resources used there will be no where else to go, at least that we know of. Would it be in our best interest to find another planet to live on? This way we could just kept on destroying the one we have now and it would be as bad or at least seem that way and at the rate we?re going there isn?t too much time left for us here.

Perhaps, if we were more similar to ants or bees and had driving instincts forcing us to interact with our environment in a balanced exchange of wants and needs or any other animals for that matter. Have you ever seen a bear throw trash on the ground or burn plastic to destroy the atmosphere. Bees pollinate the flowers that they land on by transporting pollen from one flower on their leg hairs and then moving on to another flower. In return they use the sweet nectar from the plant to make honey in order to feed their young. They are both satisfied and able to move on with their lives but if one were not present for either would not go on. Ants work as a team marching along finding food. They take whatever they find back to their nest and it?s used to feed future ants or larva and then save what they need to live another day. That?s all that they get, just the food that they need to survive. No waste or trash is deposited on the ground. Everything is used and even recycled into the ground by droppings or the death of creatures, which fertilizes the ground for trees and other plants to grow. If we could relate to the earth like these two examples things would be better. Or if we could learn to relate to the earth at all. We?re too busy thinking about things that we don?t need or our jobs or whatever it is that day. We should just worrying about surviving the best we can and that would most certainly include taking better care of the place we stay. There would be no point in nuclear war to weapons because they could completely destroy the earth with one short blow.

If we, the humans, are such a problem then why were we put here? If the earth could have avoided this disaster then why didn?t it? Everything else was made so that they would not in any way hurt the earth and then we come along and figure out every way possible. Maybe some animal will save the earth and us also from our fate. We tend to think that we?re the most intelligent beings on the earth but if you think about it, all of these other animals that work together and relate with each other in order to live are doing pretty good. It might be the most humbling thing ever for the whole human race but we should look at things like this, we don?t have anything to lose.

One problem that Swimme pointed out in the reading is that the human race is fixated on beauty and even beauty that is a fake. One example the book gives is the agricultural processes that poison our water and destroys four billion tons of topsoil on the American continent each year (Swimme 77). But we still continue to spray our fields because they yield better crops that way. We can forget that the earth is suffering cause it?s already messed up as is and be proud of what we have accomplished with technology in order to produce food. But the fact is that we really don?t need all the pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers. Many years ago the Native Americans used fish heads for fertilizer on their crops provided enough to survive. The buffalo is another example of how the Indians used their resources. It provided tools from its bones, sheets of fur from the hide and of course food. Nothing was wasted after it was killed. Maybe we would be better off if we were to go back to more primitive ways, but that could never happen after already coming so far deep and depend on all our electronic organizers and styrofoam cups.

Maybe the human race will wise up one day and see that they are ruining their home but until we do they?re only be hurting themselves. This is the one and only Earth that we?re talking about. No other planet has what it does. The prefect level of oxygen, water so support life and so many other things. It?s a gem in this rough universe.