I don't understand humans...

The most confusing thing i don't understand is why, we, human beings destroy the earth. If you think about it it is very egotystical for us to destroy the earth. The earth lets us stay on earth eat its food you know drink its water. All the other animals don't destroy the earth. We pollute the water, throw trash everywere, and even we invent nondegradable substances like plastic, and throw it all over the earth. If you think about it, the earth can take us out easily if it wanted to. I just don't understand that. American Indians survived without killing the earth, or cutting down all the trees. Man, those indians were smart. Nothing went to waste or anything.

 

THEY WEREN'T INDIANS.. Columbus called them Indians because he thought he was in India. As for humans destroying the earth, blame technology, blame the quest for knowledge and the wish for improved surroundings.

 

Well, i didnt mean to affend Native Americans or anything and if you blame technology. It is cause and effect we humans create technology which destroy the world. We manipulate it. Cars didn't invent themselves. Neither did nuclear bombs.

 

Technology and knowledge are not inherently bad or good, it just depends on how it is used. There are just too many people and many are unaware of the impact that they have to their surroundings, or just don't care.

 

Yeah that is true... I also think that sometimes we think we are in the center of the universe but we are sooo small compared to everything else., but i do agree it depends on how we use technology

 

the natives were a sustainable population; we, however, are definitely not.

 

It's not all humans though. The Dutch and the Danes have decentralised power since the 50's, when the UK and US were going nuclear...

Really, it's a case of help those who ARE doing their bit and educate those who aren't...

 

hola. I have to say, I was looking for another thread which had passed my eyes when scrolling down {all the way to the bottom} and I came across this. You cannoth blame yourself for humanity having such a large population that we need to be producing so much stuff with its costs to the environment. If you're concerned about litter, pick it up. The best thing you could do is become a buddhist and try and evolve to a higher form of conscious independant of this plant in your next reincarnation...the psychedelic experience by timothy leary will cheat your way through but so would a healthy lifestyle. ooh by the way the next post i'm going to reply to {as a guilty party} is why do people smoke and i tell thee i'm utterly indefencible...

hehehehehehehehehehehehe...

 

Actually a lot of stuff that becomes trash doesn't need to be produced. Stuff like paper plates, plastic cups, etc... It's just made because people are willing to pay for it. They would package their own shit in a shiny box if somebody was willing to buy it. And of the stuff that is needed... well, I'm sure I don't need to point out the millions of tons of perfectly good food that gets thrown away because nobody was there to buy it.

Note on the Native American people - they may have been the greatest people to ever exist. They respected each other, the land, the animals, even the white people who killed them and stole from them. Really, they may have been the first (and only real) communists, because they seemed to have lived by the rule "to each according to his need, from each according to his ability."

 

the answer to the original question is: GREED. followed closely by a large dose of ignorance about our impact (as ddpstp233 said).

if there was no profit to be made in promoting conspicuous consumption, raping resources and wantonly polluting, we wouldn't do it. in my mind the problem is inherrent to being human. our primordial instincts and urges, once absolutely essential, are failing us now. example: in hunter-gatherer times, you could never guarentee that there would be a next meal, so it was a good idea to eat as much as possible. today we have an obesity epidemic.

on top off this biological prison, we are also slaves to the unsustainable capitalist system. western culture was unfortunately founded on christian ideals, meaning that we think of ourselves as divine (and the centre of the universe) yet feel entitled to abuse the planet and its resources. people today are conditioned to believe that materialism is the path to happiness.

the million dollar question therefore: how to we change our human nature? impossible maybe, but i'd say psychedelic therapy for every man, woman and young adult would be a good start.

 

yeah i have to agree its greed. people looking out for themselfs and no one else. bush wont change the way american bussines does things cause it would hurt the economy cant wait to see the planet kick his arse his money aint gunna save him then

 

how long have we been forcing the idea of spread peace not hate. lets all face it. not to be pessimistic, but we are only human and this perfect idea will never occur. the reasons the animals don't "destroy the earth" is because they don't know any better. the only time people seem to appreciate or have any concern over anything is when it is nearly gone or dying. This foolish mistake will lead to our demise.

 

I have to admit I used to throw stuff out the window, up untill 8th grade. Now when I see it it sickens me, to think people are that inconsiderate and unappreciative. I was waiting for the bus one day and I heard this sound so I looked up the road, and car was coming, then I heard the sound again and this lady was throwing cans out the window, I was like wat the hell. I picked up the 3 I seen but still, why would someone do that ? I cant believe I used to even throw stuff out the window..ech. its stupid.

 

i dont think any of us will fully understand why we do the things we do. we just do them

 

How humans are, I think; has a lot to do with what we're taught as we learn by example. It's a cultural thing .... like, Native American humans live in harmony with nature. A majority of the American humans do not live in harmony with nature. And, right now, we've got a President (and, I use that term loosely when referring to The Shrub) who, like Shaman_Stig said, will not force businesses to change. As a matter of fact, Bush actually removed restrictions for businesses that were already in place that were to reduce pollution - figure that one out! The Powers-That-Be have all kinds of things going on that we probably don't even know about. We get born into the world, and we learn by example from the things that are already going on around us. Most of you guys are about half my age, but even by the time I was born, things were well set in motion towards destruction of this planet. Sunshine Daydream 07 has the right idea by looking at a behavior she used to indulge in that was contributory to the problem; and realizing that; and then changing that behavior - she even went one better, and not only did she say she stopped littering - she actually cleaned up someone else's litter - that's really cool! In her own small way, she exerted an effort to make things better - Right On, Sunshine!

I live in Silicon Valley, the hub of everythingelectronic, and you would not believe what gets thrown away here. The Technological Revolution has, indeed, been a large contributor in the acceleration of the demise of our planet. People that are seriously into the computer industry are obsessed with what they call "progress" , as relating to electronic devices. They call computers "obsolete" and discard them, even though they still work! But, they discard the old one for the new one because the new one's faster, smaller, better, newer, a different color, more stuff in it, etc. .... I could go on.
Like, they could at least recycle the old ones; or donate them to old folk's homes, or jails, or schools, or somewhere ... but they don't - they throw them away - and they still work! In the year 2000, there was issued here, an announcement that no more electronic waste was going to be allowed to be put into landfill, because there was so much there already, that it had reached toxic levels. So, what's really going on here is that, when all of these electronics companies were inventing and manufacturing all these electronic devices, they had used no forethought as relating to "what do we do with all this electronic waste on down the road?" Something that I do in my own small way to help the environment is I reclaim and recycle electronic devices and components to prevent them from going into the landfill; and to extend their usefulness by routing them into a market where they can still be used for what they are instead of being wasted.

It is written that it took something like ten-thousand years for the Human to advance from using a rock as a tool to thinking of the idea of tying a stick onto the rock to make it a better tool. In just the last one-hundred years, the Human has gone from the discovery and utilization of electricity to the develpment of thermo nuclear weapons of destruction. And, they like to call this "progress". Progress is defined as something along the lines of: advancement for the betterment of the species. I'm sorry; but I call this retrogression, not progress.

Sincere Regards, Michaela
________________________________________

"They will never make a perfect heart until they make
one that can't be broken."
....... The Wizard, "The Wizard of Oz"
_________________________________________

 

We do learn and teach by example. For change to really occur, not only do we have to be responsible for our own actions, we have to find ways to teach others.

Picking up trash is one good way. Will it stop all litter, no. But you will help the problem and there will be people who see you and think twice before contributing to the problem. We didn't get here over night and the world won't change over night.

Technology is one of the contributors. If companies would spend the same amount of time and money to make products last instead of making everything disposable, the world would benefit. Technology can assist in creating more substainable ways of living (solar electric, water purification...)

In planning my house, I'm thinking through each thing to see what is a necessity, what can serve more than one purpose and how can it help or not hurt the environment.

How we choose to live either makes the problem worse or helps to solve it.

 

I dont recollect "smart" being the operative word when they chose to attack fellas with guns while firing arrows and I never heard they had books or invented huge ships to transport goods etc etc - its all right feeling sorry for em but man they were stoneage dinosaurs that met the modern world

The USA is pitching itself against the whole of the world on this issue and the USA will lose - funny how all the stoneage dinosaurs end up on that continent - Viva La Green Revolution

 

Some people create harm or destroy,which they believe demonstrates they are strong and powerful. Sadly, humans find it satisfying and easier to destroy.

 

I've never drove a car, or littered in my life... just because me being here is littering... human litter there are far too many of us but now that there is we must find a solution.

 

Your on the right track. Monetary gain, and conveinience drives humans to devour natural resources. Only a small percent can be accounted for valid reasons. Emergency medical care, clothing for the colder weather/climates, and food, are the only things that we need. Even then, some would say that we could do without emergency medical care.

I must admit, it sure would be tough to live without these communication techknowlogies like the Internet, but then again, we'd live very close to like minded individuals and wouldn't need the net as much to find like-minded individuals. Tribes typical share beliefs and values. This modern world provides so many choices, and humans make stupid choices.