Imagine you turn on your TV and hear a news man say: “Congratulations, fellow Americans: the era of rampant consumption has come to an end!” The comments would probably be diverse: “No way, we are getting back in the game!”, “I didn’t expect it to be today…”, “Somebody finally said it straight!” But if I were you, I’d stop watching TV altogether. So, is the game over? Yes, it is. Why is the truth always so daunting? Why is it so difficult for us to acknowledge something that has been staring us in the face for a while now? We may be legally blind, but even they can see elephants. The World Wildlife Fund scientists, who work with governments, businesses and communities around the world, based on their practical experience, knowledge and credibility, claim that today humans are consuming over 25% more natural resources on a global scale than the earth can support and that this rampant consumption is stretching ecological boundaries, leading to unsustainable living. WWF-UK’s Head of Research, Stuart Bond, said humanity has been living off its “ecological credit card” and “liquidating the planet’s natural resources. While this can be done for a short while, ecological debt ultimately leads to the depletion of resources, such as forests, oceans and agricultural land, upon which our economy depends.” The economy is in crisis and is worsening as I type. The media is making a desperate attempt to convince us that everything is under control and things are getting better. While they are carrying out their orders, we faithfully “eat” their feed and remain loyal to our so-called life styles....
Millennia from now, will we be just another figure on the evolutionary chart? Looking back, will our future generations know that at this point in time humanity became aware of its integral relationship with nature and each other? Right now, it appears the answer is ‘no’. If we continue on our present trajectory, there will be a mushroom cloud marking our place in the biological process. We have insulated ourselves from nature so well in this age; our predicament comes from a conviction that we are beyond the laws of nature and its rules do not apply to us. Patrick Henry, one of America’s founding fathers confirms, “It is natural for man to indulge in the illusions of hope. We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth and listen to the song of that siren till she transforms us into beasts… For my part, whatever anguish of spirit it may cost, I am willing to know the whole truth, to know the worst, and to provide for it”. Apparently, mankind has been utilizing the ostrich approach for a very long time… Instead of inventing our own rules as we go along, we should study the laws of nature and learn to work within them. Knowing the rules was essential when our ancestors shared living area and hunting grounds with saber-toothed tigers and mammoths. The difference between surviving and becoming a quick snack depended upon their knowledge of the system and the ability to work within it. Failure meant a swift and merciless end. Even up until the 20th century, our forefathers wouldn’t have imagined themselves living outside this...
