The
Woe of Our Time
We live in an age of unprecedented technological
advancement and communication. People have the ability to communicate
between continents in an instant, and computers that can perform
unbelievable mathematical calculations in the blink of an eye. Many
of us have homes with heat in the winter, and air conditioning in the
summer. We have clothes on our back, food on our plate, and a family
to come home to. Of course there are many men and women who are less
fortunate. For the majority of the first world population, however,
these luxuries are readily available.
Despite the level of advancement our civilization has
reached, we are far from “civil”. Humans persecute each other
based on differences in race, gender, and sexual orientation just to
name a few. Even differences in which sports team a person roots for
can be the cause of violence! Our species eradicates entire
ecosystems, then claims the animals left homeless are encroaching on
human land, labeling them as vermin.
Entire species of animals are becoming extinct due to
the greed of humankind. We kill for joy, and destroy the Earth that
we rely on for survival. Why, in such an advanced age of
civilization, are we still so consumed by greed and pride?
In one word: immaturity. I feel this word encapsulates
the root of our problems. Our species is immature. Civilization has
advanced quicker than our natural evolutionary maturity. Mass amounts
of information and luxuries are at our disposal, and we do not know
how to utilize these things in a constructive way. Technology
controls and dictates our lives, where it should be a mere
enhancement. Self-sufficiency is becoming obsolete as the young
generations begin to rely more heavily on technology to dictate how
they live. This immaturity of our species and lack of knowing the
self is a major cause of racism, sexism, and violence in general.
Fear and uncertainty are the result, and the societal issues that
plague us are the side effects.
Judging and persecuting another human being based on
the color of their skin, their gender or their sexual orientation is
a major sign of lack of maturity. If humankind is to advance to a new
age of enlightenment, knowledge and higher levels of civilization,
these trivial issues must be put to rest. A species at war with
itself is doomed to become extinct, and we are certainly on the fast
track. There are so many divisions among us that are major causes of
violence. Religion has historically been the largest division among
humans. I believe there is one truth, and there are many ways of
interpreting that truth. Everybody has the birth right to interpret
that truth how they see fit, it is part of what makes our species
unique and diverse. To persecute another based on their personal
interpretation of this truth, however, is vile. Groups that do this
are a cancer to our species. I feel that the differences between each
person are beautiful and should be viewed as a chance to learn more about the world and yourself.
The earth is essential to the survival of all life on
it. If the planet dies, so does everything inhabiting its surface.
Humankind has taken to abusing and destroying this beautiful planet.
What we fail to realize, however, is the ignorant belief that our
species can survive and advance without the vitality of the earth is
like a fetus being developed without a womb. There is no hope of the
fetus surviving without the nourishment of the mother's body. So to
destroy the earth, and the creatures which help keep it flourishing,
we destroy ourselves. A return to the ancient beliefs of being one
with the earth and all things on it is imperative. We have become far
too separated from this reality.
All of this greed, immaturity, ignorance and division
comes from a major source however. The financial institutions, the
media, the religious and government organizations, they have all
created your reality for you. We no longer think for ourselves, world
events and history are written by those whose wealth lies well in the
$100 trillions. These institutions care not for the well being of the
planet, nor of our species. They are the epitome of greed and
corruption. When our species wakes up to this construct we have been
raised to believe is true, and start working together to break the
illusion, we will see progress. Many are already on the path of
awakening, or have already reached that point where they see the
world with true sight. These issues of division will continue to keep
us blind to the true problems as long as we allow them to. No
political party, presidential candidate or religious leader will fix
the problems in this world because they are all a part of the
problem. The truth lies within yourself.
