It’s not nice being nice in a not so nice world. This statement is heavily loaded; the unspoken message is that a human beings, broadly speaking, are not a pleasant species.
If you consider life in terms of fairness, you may be appropriately convinced that cheaters, manipulators, liars and the likes, always get the upper hand, and that there’s very little justice for those who play by the rules. The adage “nice people finish last” comes to mind. Looking at how the rules of engagement are laid out in society, one may be easily persuaded that nice people do finish last. But what about the rules of nature, what happens when we cheat the cosmic force of balance?
If one were to trade places with animals, plants or even the planet in the matter, then one may persuasively argue that human beings are decisively unpleasant. Perhaps unpleasant would be a grand underrepresentation of the facts. A wretched and ungrateful bunch we are!
On the other hand, there’s a lot to admire and learn from some individuals, people who are very humane. One constant among such humane people is their love and respect for nature. They speak often speak of the lessons nature has to teach us. I personally learned a few tricks from nature, and have come to respect and admire it. Perhaps what is most admirable about nature is its loyalty to balance, even if maintaining balance may cause havoc. Tsunamis, hurricanes, earthquakes and so forth are some of the ways we’ve observed nature in a violent and destructive way. But in as much as nature may destroy, it always replenishes and provides in abundance. Balance.
To the contrary, our interaction with nature is marred by imbalance. Scientist argue that Miami and Bangladesh will be totally wiped out by rising sea levels in less than a hundred years due to climate change. This singular reaction from nature can be seen as a scratch on the surface compared to what may happen if things continue to consume and destroy without bringing in the balance to replenish. To put it plainly and mildly, we haven’t really been nice to the planet.
Similar to that child who can’t put down their new toy, humanity has met the advancement of technology and industrialisation with a whimsical childlike demeanor. We’re out to consume as much as we can for as long as we live. One phone, one car, one house is not enough. And the earth must provide! This observation doesn't mean to diminish the actions of the many people and organizations working tirelessly to protect and preserve the earth. But these efforts are easily thwarted by the ever expanding multitude of children with their new toys.
A lot of suffering has accompanied this endless need to consume. Smaller nations with resources that bigger and or more powerful nations want are being pillaged and plundered to no end. Narute is very responsive, when you plant the right seed in the right season, something will grow. But in its responsiveness, nature is realizing that that human beings are not here to make friends.
Sure we enjoy nature. We hike in it, camp in it, take wonderful pictures of it to curate for likes and upvotes, but we never really pay attention to it. We never really immerse ourselves with the earth to truly understand the demand to preserve it for future generations. Scientists are argue that it the the sun will boil the oceans within a billion years and tender the planet uninhabitable. But it looks like we might beat the sun to it, much-much sooner. Between the likelihood of nuclear wars and climate change, earth’s prospects don’t seem so favourable.
The earth has really been good and gracious to human beings, so much so that we appointed ourselves managers of its resources. Like a doormat, the earth has been trodded on and largely unkempt by this ungrateful child.
As we’re fighting to consume all that we can, the planet is destroying us for its own self-preservation because it realised that we're not so nice after all.
Below are some links if you're interested to learn more about conservation or to just find out what you can do in your little corner to better the world. Other than being nice to the planet, let's also be nice to fellow beings, especially on this platform. Thank you for reading 🙂
https://www.plastictides.org/plastics101/?gad_source=1
https://www.sierraclub.org/toiyabe/100-things-you-can-do-save-planet
https://www.wwf.org.uk/thingsyoucando
