Can Humanity Be Compared to a Virus ?
If I were an alien observing our beautiful planet I would easily be able to identify the “virus” that is slowly but surely destroying the pristine perfection and almost perfect balance of Earth.
It would be the human species.
The rapid decay that has been the price paid for the survival of this “virus” is evident in the destroyed habitats, raped environments, dying species, destruction of the soil, outcomes of war … the list of negatives could easily go on.
How many humans would balk at being compared to a virus? I’d say at least 98% would be up in arms.
Humans seem to approach their position in the hierarchy of living things like a colonialist from South East Asia would have in the 18th and 19th century. Imbued with an inherent sense of superiority that assumes that their comfort and well being is far superior than those of any other living thing or habitat.
This misconstrued position has given humans the wrongly perceived right to destroy magnificent cathedrals of nature due to justifications that it needs food to allow it to survive and proliferate. We have transcended the natural order of simply keeping our species alive and flourishing, having seemingly decided that our own lives as individuals are far more important than the bigger picture of the survival of all living things and the land and habitat upon which we rely.
The natural order appears to be about symbiosis.
The human race is like an invading army. Raping and pillaging as it wins the battles waged against a majestic but less well equiped victim/enemy.
All in the name of the “survival of the fittest”, which in itself is not wrong but we have taken it to an unhealthy extreme.
From where I stand there always seems to be a natural order to the universe even though it seems to have been born of chaos. Over the millennia and for even far longer some unseen force has guided the ever changing living cells that make up life to evolve in ways that seem like magic but which will guarantee persistence. Everything has a relationship to everything else and seems to be able to work together for the greater good. Whatever that greater good is might be worth debating about but for now it seems to be the continuation of all life as we know it on this planet.
Like a body ravaged with illness wrought on it by a virus the planet is capable of repairing itself. It would just take time and the removal of the antagonist from the picture – in this case mankind. The Amazon forest would grow back, the top soil would re-generate with microbes, new species of animals and insects would evolve, the oceans would re-vegetate and fill with living creatures. The cities would eventually turn to dust and within several thousands of years all sign of mankind would be gone. All of our pollution and devastation .. gone.
But what about the positive side of mankind? What about the art, the music, the epic stories, the poems, the books, the philosophy … even the technological advancements that if used wisely could have enhanced the planets natural equilibrium. Is that worth saving? Is it too late to turn the tide? Is it even possible?
Yes, of course it is but to do so will take a huge amount of agreement, shared goals, willingness to change course as soon as it is obvious that things are not working. It is a big enough planet for the human race to co-habit with all other living things and each other.
There will always be those who will revolt against any noble plan. All they need to do is to convince one other person to stray off the pathway and they are off and running. War will easily return. Bad news, misinformation, power grabs, greed, jealousy.
As I write these words my ideas bash into each other. I wonder if it is possible to create a utopia? Am I kidding myself? It would take a tremendous amount of self discipline to on one hand offer freedom to all of mankind and ion the other to expect the “players” to all work together for the common good. Freedom of speech, freedom of movement, freedom of choice, freedom to have access to nutrition and water, freedom to create. What stands out is that we would have to work together as a species, we would have to have a healthy respect for other lifeforms, we would have to have a huge respect for the other lifeforms on the planet as well as the health of the land.
Could we do this while retaining our individuality. This seems to be the one thing that stands out to me. We all see life from our own viewpoint, we all create our own universe and look out from it.
It doesn’t take much to corrupt a group of people and to poison it with destructive goals and cognitive dissonance. I’ve seen this happen time and time again. It may be that we are simply not wise enough, that we don’t have an inherent sense of ethics, that we lack compassion and tolerance.
The more I write and speculate the bigger the hole I’m digging becomes.
I’ll have to finish off for now by comparing what I have been writing about to something I have achieved myself.
I was on the way to self destruction.
If I really stretch it I could compare my own physical existence to that of the planet. I’m the ruler, my cells are the inhabitants of my own country, the bacteria and viruses that are along for the ride are like other races. My job is to not only make everybody healthy but also to get them living in harmony and willing to co-operate for the overall survival of the “whole system”. A bit like wholistic medicine. Treating the body as a complete unit that relies on its survival based on the comprehensive relationships that exist.
In my own case I decided to slowly work towards a better level of understanding and health. This took hard work, persistence, pushing forward on a given course, not giving up. I still have more to do but I did pass the crucial point where I am more healthy than sick. To achieve this I had to enlist all of the “citizens” and convince them that our survival depended on a survival goal and a common desired result.
Change either comes from completely destroying what already exists, like knocking down a house and completely re-building or repairing and renovating. From my awareness the second option is the only alternative when it comes to bodies but there may be arguments against this. Killing old senescent cells and replacing them with new cells could be seen as destroying in order to create. Cleaning up inflamed and diseased areas. It is a slow process that takes a goal and self discipline.
Bucketloads.
But having said that a species that is being destructive could be made extinct for the benefit of the “whole”. I’m not advocating for the destruction of the human race, I like being part of it and I have a great hope and belief that one day it will realise that there is power in numbers but also that this gives it a far greater responsibility towards everything else.
Does this mean that I believe in benevolent big hearted dictators to rule over everyone? Isn’t that what God is supposed to be? I don’t really know. I’m now out of my depth.
To be re-visited.
