Save the humans

It occurred to me last week that we are being very self-centered when we say, "Save The Planet".

The planet will continue on without us. It will shrug us off like a batch of fleas. Cockroaches, ants, bees and other species will likely take over if the environment gets much warmer or toxic. The planet survived the ice age and it will survive global warming. We, on the other hand, could likely go the way of the dinosaur.

The accurate declaration should be "save the humans", because that's really what is at stake with the current crisis. As Ray Anderson of Interface Corporation likes to say, by poisoning the planet for humans, we are practicing intergenerational tyranny -- stealing from yet-to-be-born generations.

While it sounds like I'm splitting hairs, in my mind the distinction is large: Hubris vs Humility. The latter may be our only hope.

Comments

[Marie]

Yes our planet will continue on. We as humans tend to think of ourselves as a little more important than we ought to. :)

[Tim Sanders]

Yes, Dave, it should.

[Dave]

Doesn't that actually make you want to do more to "save the humans" than "save the planet"?

I think so.

[Shama Hyder]

Very well said. Save the Humans. I like that!