Very amusing.. but in a sad way. I have some reservations about the whole approach taken here, both in the parable and in your comments afterward: my worry is that in both “collective” humanity was held collectively responsible for bad planetary outcomes. But this is false. Throughout 99.9% of our species’ existence, we were keystone ecological engineers. It is only in the past few thousand years that inegalitarian and ecologically destructive cultural systems developed, and eventually coalesced to become the monstrous military-industrial complex of “modern” civilization.
It is still very difficult to accept that civilization, so far, has generated most of the ecological disasters and species extinctions for 10,000 years. It is also difficult for most people, who imagine they are from “advanced” societies, to let go of their prejudices against the smaller scale societies with “simple” technologies and economies. The cultural ecologies, of hunter-gatherers, horticulturalists, and nomadic pastoralists, appear to represent earlier “stages” in the evolution of culture. They were not. They were based on practices arising from an extremely sophisticated ecological knowledge that might have been understand by a minority of people enthuse economies, but were so effective that they became embedded in all approaches to the environment.
These cultures all contributed to the maintenance of mosaics of secondary growth in every ecosystem. This reduced the severity of wildfires and supported high levels of species diversity.
If alien visitors had arrived to assess this situation 100,000 years ago, or even as recently as 5,000 years ago, they would have been reassured that Homo sapiens was developing into a beneficial organism for the future of the planet.
So what went wrong? I suggest that part of the explanation lies in our dependence on learned and shared information and practices. Our excessive reliance on this “cultural” system of adaptation made us vulnerable to two major dangers: 1) the hubris of those who “won” in the development of socio-economic class systems, and 2) the creation of larger settlements - cities - that required that the surrounding countryside - and eventually the whole planet - be stripped of fauna and flora and minerals and even fresh water - just to support the consumption patterns of urban populations, and especially the wealthy self-deluded elites.
just talked to per espen stoknes on linkedin he stated that the human population will peak on 9 billion in the year 2050 and than decline in the year 2100 to 6 or 7 billion NO COLLAPSE THIS CENTURY and if you look and the earth4all study you can find all papers !!!!
2) We understand how apex predators, such as wolves or lions, kill and eat the weaker and sicker grazing animals, maintaining an ecosystem balance.
When humans discovered agriculture, and became grazing animals, they also discovered kings and armies, apex-predators of humans, who would kill when resources became less than what the population needed, and ugly form of ecosystem management, but it is what we still have.
The fossil-fuel "pulse" of the last couple of hundred years has allowed our population to outgrow prior ecosystem limits with diesel plows, planters, combines, and nitrogen fertilizers, tapping aquifers for irrigation. This is reaching limits, when analyzed.
Our owners see the need to thin our human numbers, now that the energy pulse has peaked. They see the decline, and would like to maintain some control by proactively culling us in a non-disruptive way, so as to maintain their economic investments.
What alternative do I present?
Spiritual guidance, accepted at the individual level.
I accept spiritual guidance for myself.
Yes I grow vegetables and ride a bike, but I have nothing fancy to present.
Very amusing.. but in a sad way. I have some reservations about the whole approach taken here, both in the parable and in your comments afterward: my worry is that in both “collective” humanity was held collectively responsible for bad planetary outcomes. But this is false. Throughout 99.9% of our species’ existence, we were keystone ecological engineers. It is only in the past few thousand years that inegalitarian and ecologically destructive cultural systems developed, and eventually coalesced to become the monstrous military-industrial complex of “modern” civilization.
It is still very difficult to accept that civilization, so far, has generated most of the ecological disasters and species extinctions for 10,000 years. It is also difficult for most people, who imagine they are from “advanced” societies, to let go of their prejudices against the smaller scale societies with “simple” technologies and economies. The cultural ecologies, of hunter-gatherers, horticulturalists, and nomadic pastoralists, appear to represent earlier “stages” in the evolution of culture. They were not. They were based on practices arising from an extremely sophisticated ecological knowledge that might have been understand by a minority of people enthuse economies, but were so effective that they became embedded in all approaches to the environment.
These cultures all contributed to the maintenance of mosaics of secondary growth in every ecosystem. This reduced the severity of wildfires and supported high levels of species diversity.
If alien visitors had arrived to assess this situation 100,000 years ago, or even as recently as 5,000 years ago, they would have been reassured that Homo sapiens was developing into a beneficial organism for the future of the planet.
So what went wrong? I suggest that part of the explanation lies in our dependence on learned and shared information and practices. Our excessive reliance on this “cultural” system of adaptation made us vulnerable to two major dangers: 1) the hubris of those who “won” in the development of socio-economic class systems, and 2) the creation of larger settlements - cities - that required that the surrounding countryside - and eventually the whole planet - be stripped of fauna and flora and minerals and even fresh water - just to support the consumption patterns of urban populations, and especially the wealthy self-deluded elites.
just talked to per espen stoknes on linkedin he stated that the human population will peak on 9 billion in the year 2050 and than decline in the year 2100 to 6 or 7 billion NO COLLAPSE THIS CENTURY and if you look and the earth4all study you can find all papers !!!!
Beautiful.
1) So Long and Thanks For All the Fish: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/So_Long,_and_Thanks_for_All_the_Fish
2) We understand how apex predators, such as wolves or lions, kill and eat the weaker and sicker grazing animals, maintaining an ecosystem balance.
When humans discovered agriculture, and became grazing animals, they also discovered kings and armies, apex-predators of humans, who would kill when resources became less than what the population needed, and ugly form of ecosystem management, but it is what we still have.
The fossil-fuel "pulse" of the last couple of hundred years has allowed our population to outgrow prior ecosystem limits with diesel plows, planters, combines, and nitrogen fertilizers, tapping aquifers for irrigation. This is reaching limits, when analyzed.
Our owners see the need to thin our human numbers, now that the energy pulse has peaked. They see the decline, and would like to maintain some control by proactively culling us in a non-disruptive way, so as to maintain their economic investments.
What alternative do I present?
Spiritual guidance, accepted at the individual level.
I accept spiritual guidance for myself.
Yes I grow vegetables and ride a bike, but I have nothing fancy to present.