Of all the various organisms that inhabit planet earth, homo sapiens seem to be the ONLY one who try to control things. We've try to control the weather, the environment, nations and each other. For all of our laborious effort, we have failed miserably. Each time we think we have everything under control, we soon discover we are horribly wrong as everything goes haywire.
For years we've tried to figure out how we can control the weather. We've tried to "seed" clouds to produce rain and we've tried strategies to avert hurricanes and storms. Not only have we failed to produce ANY level of control, but we still can't even predict the weather!
We're told it won't rain and it pours. We're told there's a 100% chance of rain and nary a drop falls. We're told it will be cloudy all day and then not a cloud dots the sky. We're told to expect clear sunny skies and we're socked in by low clouds and fog.
We've pulled out all the stops to try to control the natural environment. We build dams and levees, yet we still suffer from devastating floods. We reinforce buildings to withstand earthquakes and tornadoes, yet buildings still collapse. We build homes on the oceanfront, in floodplains and in the forest, yet we are shocked when they are destroyed by tsunamis, floods and fires.
We mow down hillsides of forests like blades of grass and then we're stunned when the ground gives way and a landslide occurs or our reservoirs become clogged with silt. We kill off important habitat and then wonder why cougars, moose and bears are wandering around city streets.
We've created a host of dangerous chemicals to provide better yields for important crops, then are shocked to discover that our new wonder substance has fouled our water, air, soil or our own bodies. Undaunted, we're now dabbling in genetically-modified crops; who knows how this will one day jump up to bite us on the keester.
We try to control other nations, groups and people. It never works out they way it was drawn up. The people we're trying to control generally become upset and this often leads to embargoes, protests, civil disobedience, terrorism and war. We then try to control our bombs and missiles so innocents aren't killed, yet all of our computerized munitions end up killing the very people we SAY we aren't targeting.
We try to control our colleagues, neighbors, friends and loved ones. We've never come close to getting this down pat as domestic violence, crime, child abuse, divorce and serious arguments plague our species. The more we try to control others, the more unhappy and insecure we become.
Finally, we try to control ourselves and even this rarely works. Substance abuse, alcoholism, obesity, depression, alienation and lack of self-confidence touch almost every single human life.
Simply put, the more we try to control things, the more out of control our lives become. One would think this clear fact would find resonance with more people. Yet, the opposite is true. The more out of control our individual and collective lives spiral, the more intent we become on trying to gain control. The proverbial Catch-22!!
For years we've tried to figure out how we can control the weather. We've tried to "seed" clouds to produce rain and we've tried strategies to avert hurricanes and storms. Not only have we failed to produce ANY level of control, but we still can't even predict the weather!
We're told it won't rain and it pours. We're told there's a 100% chance of rain and nary a drop falls. We're told it will be cloudy all day and then not a cloud dots the sky. We're told to expect clear sunny skies and we're socked in by low clouds and fog.
We've pulled out all the stops to try to control the natural environment. We build dams and levees, yet we still suffer from devastating floods. We reinforce buildings to withstand earthquakes and tornadoes, yet buildings still collapse. We build homes on the oceanfront, in floodplains and in the forest, yet we are shocked when they are destroyed by tsunamis, floods and fires.
We mow down hillsides of forests like blades of grass and then we're stunned when the ground gives way and a landslide occurs or our reservoirs become clogged with silt. We kill off important habitat and then wonder why cougars, moose and bears are wandering around city streets.
We've created a host of dangerous chemicals to provide better yields for important crops, then are shocked to discover that our new wonder substance has fouled our water, air, soil or our own bodies. Undaunted, we're now dabbling in genetically-modified crops; who knows how this will one day jump up to bite us on the keester.
We try to control other nations, groups and people. It never works out they way it was drawn up. The people we're trying to control generally become upset and this often leads to embargoes, protests, civil disobedience, terrorism and war. We then try to control our bombs and missiles so innocents aren't killed, yet all of our computerized munitions end up killing the very people we SAY we aren't targeting.
We try to control our colleagues, neighbors, friends and loved ones. We've never come close to getting this down pat as domestic violence, crime, child abuse, divorce and serious arguments plague our species. The more we try to control others, the more unhappy and insecure we become.
Finally, we try to control ourselves and even this rarely works. Substance abuse, alcoholism, obesity, depression, alienation and lack of self-confidence touch almost every single human life.
Simply put, the more we try to control things, the more out of control our lives become. One would think this clear fact would find resonance with more people. Yet, the opposite is true. The more out of control our individual and collective lives spiral, the more intent we become on trying to gain control. The proverbial Catch-22!!
Um...beavers build dams... ;)
ReplyDelete"We then try to control our bombs and missiles so innocents aren't killed, yet all of our computerized munitions end up killing the very people we SAY we aren't targeting."
Faulty weapons, or faulty intelligence data? Or, more sinister - enemy combatants herding innocents into areas they know or believe to be targets.
And not "all of our computerized munitions end up killing the very people we SAY we aren't targeting." That's a terribly inaccurate and irresponsible thing to say.
Faulty weapons, or faulty intelligence data?
ReplyDeleteHey, remember we have the greatest military in the world? We can't mess up THAT often.
more sinister - enemy combatants herding innocents into areas they know or believe to be targets.
I'm sure that happens, but it sounds more like a rationalization.
And not "all of our computerized munitions end up killing the very people we SAY we aren't targeting." That's a terribly inaccurate and irresponsible thing to say.
You're right. I hit the publish button instead of the preview button. It didn't come out the way I meant it. I meant to type "too many", not "all".
What better proof do we need that there is no God. If He had been more that some cautionary tales in the bible, He would have succeeded in wiping out the human race when we first started screwing things up. He brought us famine and pestilence, floods and the destruction of cities, but seems to have given up the wholesale slaughter for more localized calamaties like the occasional earthquake, volcano of tsuname that usually harms mostly innocent and impoverished populations. Less harmful creatures have become extinct over the millenia, why has Homo Sapiens survived when it is hell bent on destroying itself?
ReplyDelete