We humans share approximately 98% of their DNA with chimpanzees. While chimpanzees may appear innocent, they are known to be violent creatures. They often kill other chimps, rape their females and even eat flesh of other chimps. They do this not because of necessity, but to expand their territory and to announce their dominance over others.

Humans are no different. They, too, start wars, and torture, rape and kill fellow human beings, all in the name of expanding control, seizing land, and accessing more resources.

We like to call ourselves civilized, but deep down, we still carry the instincts of the chimp. The only difference is, we use science and technology to achieve our goals more efficiently (and often more destructively too).

The World Is Running Out of Free Space

Resources on Earth are limited. But our craving for exploitation of resources keeps growing. The global population continues to rise, and with it, the demand for food, water, space, and energy is increasing continuously. Other resources can be recycled and reused but land cannot be created. So we’re now planning to live on Mars or building underwater cities. But those dreams are far from reality. It will take decades or maybe centuries for them to happen in reality. Meanwhile, on Earth, one group of people is being deprived by another, often through force.

It seems that there are different reasons for present global unrest but look carefully and you’ll find that the core reason is the desire to expand control, seize land, and access more resources. For example, Israel Palestinian conflict, Rohingya’s expulsion from Myanmar, Russia Ukraine war, ongoing conflicts across the Middle East and parts of Africa, land disputes between China and India, and India and Pakistan.

Wherever you look, there may be different stories, different justifications but the core issue is the same and that is everyone wants to control more resources. Since all resources are tied to land, the urge to grab more land becomes inevitable.

A Shrinking Space in a Growing World

In India, millions live in slums and illegal colonies. They live there not because they love it, but because they have no other choice. Yet, governments often evict these people to clear the land for “development projects.”

Why do these evictions happen? Why do people have no land in a country that ranks 7th in size in the world?

The answer is overpopulation. Despite its large geographical area, India is struggling to have land for its development works. Land is being consumed rapidly for urban development, infrastructure, and industry. So governments find themselves with no option but to reclaim land, even if it means displacing the poor. This is not just an Indian problem. It’s a global symptom of a world struggling to support itself.

What should be done?

We need to accept the hard truth that constant construction is not development. If we keep equating high buildings and highways with progress, we’re missing the bigger picture.

Real progress means understanding our limits—both in terms of resources and population. We must adopt a minimalist approach, use land and resources more wisely, and seriously consider about population control. If we continue using the same path, we will only become more like the chimps, fighting, killing, and displacing others, all in the name of survival.