I was walking through my town...

[Harmonic Revelations 8,833]

and I feel kind of disgusted. My town has ten thousand people but it's still considered one of the smaller towns. I am kind of horrified of the implications of urban sprawl. Until looking at how it affected even my area I didn't realize quite how bad it was. It's like humans forget other creatures exist and we just do what feels good.

 

To further elaborate, I was thinking, why are humans so determined to take everything, until there is nothing left?

 

Why do we suck the Earth dry?

 

Why do we suck the stars dry?

 

Why are we so evil? We leech off our surroundings and all we do is harm the environment. We harm other creatures, marvelous gifts of nature, and for what? Our egos?

 

Why do we hurt so much?

 

Why?

Edited January 11, 2013 by Harmonic Revelations

[Leafeon 2,701]

They do. Quite a lot. The amount of one species on this planet, due to lack of predators, is sickening. I really could not care when a huge fuss is made about 10 people dying in a house fire. While, it's sad yes, notice the other animals, please?

 

Totally agree with you. :/

[aRegularPony 306]

and I feel kind of disgusted. My town has ten thousand people but it's still considered one of the smaller towns. I am kind of horrified of the implications of urban sprawl. Until looking at how it affected even my area I didn't realize quite how bad it was. It's like humans forget other creatures exist and we just do what feels good.

 

Why?

Most people consider human to be superior species, and that they are all that matters. Thus, they do things that benefit this 'superior' race. If others would just realize that there is more than just then, and realize they are destroying millions of lives, maybe, even just for a second, they will see what they are doing is wrong.

Edited January 11, 2013 by aRegularPony

[Scootalove 10,684]

The people in my hometown, barely even notice any animals.

All they do is just pretend they are invisible.

Makes me feel sickened.

I see where your coming from.

[Betez 1,734]

Humans are selfish. It's always been that way, it is that way, and it's probably going to stay that way. Yeah, it's sad, but that's how we are. I wish we could all just focus on something other than ourselves.

[Kamil 315]

Ants are in more places than humans, are more numerous even when measured by MASS rather than individually, and take over the entire underground space where they live. Just to put things in perspective.

 

In addition, almost any other species which is currently not a global phenomenon was relocated so that it was, would entirely destroy any new ecosystem it entered. Humans as a species (not necessarily individuals, but overall) know a lot more restraint than other species, and it only seems different because we have so much power that even massively limited we can crush anything we run into without even a thought.

[Stalliongrad 982]

There is a saying in my county "If there's a tree it will be a townhouse". Its like every possible area that can be developed is being mowed down to make room for Condo's or Town homes or Shopping Malls. In the past one could say it is the greedy nature of human beings. But you have to look at these things from the perspective of a City Manager or a Property Developer. The population keeps growing and growing you need to build houses to accommodate them and malls for them to shop and schools for the children they will have. It is very sad and unfortunate part of life here on earth. There will eventually come a time when there is no more room. Its why i find empty spaces of the world interesting. Eventually there will be a way to live on Antarctica permanently. There have been concepts of building colonies on the moon (no Luna pun intended) and possibly Terra forming (creating oceans and forests) on Mars. Humans could accomplish so much more if things like war didn't exist. If the money we spent fighting wars over dirt was spent on such projects it wouldn't even be something to worry about. Who knows...

[Cowl 128]

It can be summed up in 3.5 words. "It's economics, stupid"

 

People have finite needs but infinite wants. Combine with a limited amount of natural resources and you get people doing anything and everything that they can to get what they want at the lowest price possible.

 

If there where infinite resources available or people only wanted what they needed, it would be another story. Unfortunately when push comes to shove people will almost always be selfish and cut down the last tree to get a few more paper cups.

[Batbrony 15,994]

As a Christian, I do believe that human life is more precious than that of other animals, simply because we have been made in God's image, and thus have sentience, and may even be the only creatures with souls (cannot say for certain on the latter though, since it's never confirmed nor denied in the Bible whether or not animals have souls, and I personally hope they do in some way).

 

However, that said, I don't obviously think that animal life is without value, nor should anypony.  I believe that all life is precious, and that God commissioned mankind to be the stewards of His creation, and take care of it, not recklessly destroy.  I believe that, with the right efforts, humans can in fact utilize that which we need to thrive while at the same time properly caring for God's creation.  Sadly, as I mentioned earlier, there is sin in this world, and as such mankind too often takes the "easy" approach to getting what he wants, even if it involves the wanton destruction of this world.  The greatest challenge these days is achieving a healthy balance between utilizing creation for our needs and wants while simultaneously loving and caring for God's creation as we should, and believe me, as everypony else has pointed out, with sin in the world, that is certainly no easy task.  Remember everypony, always do what little you can to love and care for this wonderful world God has given us, and all that lives in it. 

Edited January 11, 2013 by Batbrony

[Acoustic Cloud 2,202]

Humans are the dominate species--not in the sense that we could kill any animal with our bare hands, but the fact that we are the ones that control them. I won't pretend to be sickened by it, I'm not, I live in a hunting community of 45,000 people (which is still considered small) I love eating someone's homemade deer jerky/elk jerky.  So I'm not one to go to PETA over something so trifling.

 

Do we build too much? No, we need it to expand and keep the society functioning, otherwise we fall like kingdoms of old.

Do we respect the environment? Yes, it is impossible to do anything nowadays that isn't bio-friendly (I'm saying that in a metaphysical sense)

Do we respect animals? Yes, there are so many wildlife protective laws it isn't even funny.

(here is something that bugs me)...

Do we cut too many trees? NO! There are more trees in the USA from replanting after a harvest than there were when we first came to this country.

 

We don't "Suck the stars dry." But we do take everything else.  And to respond in "WHY ARE WE SO EVIL?" The answer is quite simple... humans are evil, it has been passed down since the beginning, you'll need to get used to it because you'll see it a lot through your life

 

The OP isn't wrong, there are some psychotic organizations and people out there who can't do anything proper about maintaining this world of ours.  But it isn't bad enough that we should worry about it in our daily lives. If you want change, you need to make it. 

 

Anyways, my rant deviated from the topic at hand a slight amount. 

Tl;dr : A famous quote can sum this entire post up.  "To err, is human."

Besides, the government will take care of it right?......Right??? 

Edited January 11, 2013 by Rainbow Dashey

[Harmonic Revelations 8,833]

Humans are the dominate species--not in the sense that we could kill any animal with our bare hands, but the fact that we are the ones that control them. I won't pretend to be sickened by it, I'm not, I live in a hunting community of 45,000 people (which is still considered small) I love eating someone's homemade deer jerky/elk jerky.  So I'm not one to go to PETA over something so trifling.

 

Do we build too much? No, we need it to expand and keep the society functioning, otherwise we fall like kingdoms of old.

Do we respect the environment? Yes, it is impossible to do anything nowadays that isn't bio-friendly (I'm saying that in a metaphysical sense)

Do we respect animals? Yes, there are so many wildlife protective laws it isn't even funny.

(here is something that bugs me)...

Do we cut too many trees? NO! There are more trees in the USA from replanting after a harvest than there were when we first came to this country.

 

We don't "Suck the stars dry." But we do take everything else.  And to respond in "WHY ARE WE SO EVIL?" The answer is quite simple... humans are evil, it has been passed down since the beginning, you'll need to get used to it because you'll see it a lot through your life

 

The OP isn't wrong, there are some psychotic organizations and people out there who can't do anything proper about maintaining this world of ours.  But it isn't bad enough that we should worry about it in our daily lives. If you want change, you need to make it. 

 

Anyways, my rant deviated from the topic at hand a slight amount. 

Tl;dr : A famous quote can sum this entire post up.  "To err, is human."

Besides, the government will take care of it right?......Right??? 

 

You misunderstand me. I love hunting. I eat tons of meat. I'm only against human expansion to the point where it permenantly hurts the environement. I love hunting and fishing, and meat is delicious.

[Pinkazoid 3,493]

We do, and as sad as it is, it's survival of the fittest, population is growing, we can't just stack people on top of each other, we expand, and get rid of everything in our way to do so. :L

[notdog1996 315]

Personally I haven't noticed anything like this in my town (We're actually in a very small town too but nature is respected as far as I know).  Well, except that one time where a dead cat was lying beside my school path and nobody noticed him...  I was actually so sickened by it that I took the time to bury him and I got late for school.  My professor is cool so I didn't have any consequence.  But, I do agree that there's WAY too many humans on Earth, reason why I'm not having children, or at least biological children. 

Edited January 11, 2013 by notdog1996

[Winona the Dog 1,981]

I think most humans only care for themselves and only themselves. Their pretty much the dominate species on the planet and thus considered the superior species. Which is why you'll see more sympathy when a person tragically  dies vs when an animal tragically dies.

[Leatherbehlt 465]

After reading this article and all the replies, I realized something. We could do something to stop all cruelty against the earth, if there were enough ambitious people in the world, and more who really cared. But, there's not. As much as I hate saying it, it's not gonna happen. Saying "we need to do something about it" is something nice, but it's about as far as we really are gonna go in terms of stopping us from destroying the earth. So in less disorganized words, we're screwed, and nothings gonna be done about. That doesn't stop me from loving the hay out of animals and nature though. And bacon.

[Zygen 6,065]

Well I think its because we have so much of a population that we're forced to expand so far, although I do agree there is alot of times where it is totally unnesarry.

 

It also has to do with the fact that humans are the only sentient species on the planet. So they kinda become the dominant one. We are also a pretty greedy species at that.

 

Its a complicated thing to think about. Us humans really are pretty complex and strange creatures..

 

I can understand the thought though.

[MiStErUnMeRry 328]

 

No, we suck the Earth dry to ensure a higher quality of living, a higher quality of living ensure a much more longer and healthier live or at least a much more safer quality of live if nothing else. Its easy to say nature a wonderful thing when you have medicine to get rid of the Ebola its afflicting you with, to keep the cold and rain from killing you to take shelter from and having guns to shoot other humans and predators away with. It easy to say humans are evil when humans are effectively all you see doing all the work around you to improve you, your family and every animal-yes even animals state of life on the planet. It easy to call humans evil when as far as we know that in this entire universe we are the only ones with a damn morality, the ability to slap two thoughts together to create complications and complexities. 

 

 

You know, Mother nature. Space, physic. Whatever universal or wordly element that you abide your life around or idolize... DOESN'T CARE about you. It doesn't.  Man care about men, man even bothered to create vets and to extend some of their medicine to animals and man even take in the considerations of trying to prolong the Earth life from our own actions or natural actions in the future. If it was up to the fate of the universe or to the fate of nature we would all be running around naked, screaming obscenely at each other while we follow a banal and barbaric routine of beating each to death with stones and chewing whatever closest mammal to death with our teeth with. Then dying at the age of 40 due to clan pack competition both in and outside our groups/worn out bodies/predators and sickness.

 

 

You can't spawn anything from nothing, the universe and the world live by these rules and now so do we and nor can you maintain anything-life-without continued used of space and resources. I see taking the apathetic and cruel nature of our environment and bending it to protect everyone with altruistic technology or if nothing else, stunning ambition to be a trait very admirable and even in some cases heroic.

 

However, if you are aiming at a much more moderate message such as why we can't try to maintain more forests in our areas.To put it frankly. People own those areas, and some do choose preserve them naturally. However we need space, for houses and factories, some people just want that space for business and other want it to set up organisations and projects of various natures. Sometimes in life it was probably more evil to keep the space natural like when over crowded population hits and poverty which is a state humanity has lived a lot of it time as. Now we got it good and its only getting better. 2000 years is a long time and theres a lot of Earth, there a lot of us. We need space, we can't hurdle people together like prisoners into cramp living conditions.Actually  we do stack people together-sky scrapers and flats- so its hardly like humanity doesn't try to conserve space and to be efficient  Do we take some places we don't need, sure. A lot of business will build random crap anywhere but we do need a stable economy and that factory will bring jobs and people need jobs.

 

 

I personally believe humanity to be one of the only vestiges in these universe that actively doesn't just laid down, die and just not give a shit about the parading conditions that drive people to die in many horrible ways or live unfulfilled lives, even if what people consider fulfilled may be indulgent and evil in nature-most of it not- People have a right to pursue happiness, a luxury that has been denied to them. We are sentient in a aimless universe, we are thinking and conflicted in a world without signals, we are aware of our own deaths and the spirals of the souls of those around us without the intervention of a benign or malevolent higher system or being in place-at least to our own knowledge- and I think considering how apathy can be just as cruel and scary as any evil, especially when it concern your existence I find humans to be shockingly community and helpful in nature. 

 

 

No. We EARNED earth, we earned our space. We earned it through intelligence, scientific advancement, courage and lets face it, some mistakes too but we also earned it by facing up and taking care of those mistakes. As a whole many men have died with failed dreams, accidents and in combat so we could all one day have the issue of simply going "oh, man. We got too many people in and too many resources" and I can assure you we don't have too many people. I think if we did we would feel some effect, Heck. Personally for me I have a small woods about...half hour walk from me and I'm in a pretty big town in England and this is England. Wer tiny compared to say...Texas!

 

You see a town and think-oh man nature could be here- I see a town and think "OH MAN. NATURE COULD BE HERE!" and then I see an old lady walking down the street with a cane and her two year old son with a leg condition and realize that if nature was here the two of them would be dead by now.

 

 

Humans are the only things in this place that actually takes time to care and if we got to build over another flower or chop down a few trees then I am all for it. Other animals, what. We give them protect wild life centres, we give them protected areas, zoos and vets. We share with them our medicine and shelter when they are under our eyes. Humans care, even do in some cases halt production, stop building over things and actively preserve areas. What more can we do apart from turn around and start shooting each other to make better soil and flower growing land.

 

 

humans...evil....jeez...we created evil to deter away from it. The very fact we are so worried about becoming it proves enough that we aren't evil. Although the list of the things we do daily in parts unforeseen by normal folk also contribute to that not evil rating-being that nature is apathetic, we could easily be the same..but we aren't...morality exists, hence we care-

 

 

The main problem is this topic is so broad but all of it is wrong. Basically, it vaguely says: Humans are evil-why we so selfish-accusations of ego-I want me some more nature-disgusted at people and towns around me. Which really implies general expansion and general consumption of all materials from man for all the things we do and the nature of humanity.

 

I don't really know how to tackle this topic because effectively there wasn't a stated topic. Just moaning misanthropy until you established a little later a problem with development that harms environment....which still encumbers pretty much everything we do. Which case in point read top of this post to this area again-only once, lets avoid a paradox here-

Edited January 11, 2013 by MiStErUnMeRry

[Jack Durango 119]

We are the apex species. It's not selfishness, it's survival, but our impressively and devastatingly evolved noggins bring about what's known as a "conscience." We dwell on things no other species on Earth has the time or capacity to dwell on, such as "the meaning of life," "society," and "right vs. wrong."

 

Truly, truly, you got to chalk it up to our large brains and our evolved states. Why were we, Homo sapiens, chosen to receive such a large and complex central processor? Hey, if it wasn't us, it might have been the ants.

 

Why did we end up developing in all these different corners of the Earth, and given an innate drive to expand and explore, if doing so means running into others whose cultures, beliefs, and practices may clash with our own? Whose master plan, doomed from the start, was that? We weren't looking for resources, we were looking for answers to our curiosity. But curiosity may in fact kill the human more than the cat. Technology may be the answer to peace, but it may also be taking away from us some very essential human qualities. Such as eye contact.

 

Will we ever stop expanding? Probably. The world will be just too crowded one day. The more safe sex is practiced, the more widely spread education becomes, and the sooner gender roles are abolished, the more likely our chances of reducing the population will become.

 

Is that a permanent solution? No. Nothing ever is. But, you know... We'll find a way. We always have.

 

^{There has to be SOME reason Lyra admires us.}

[The Pony Alchemist 70]

1. I'm surprised, not all of the replies were about Religion

2. Although many people do try to do more for the creatures around us the bad still outweighs the good

3. As a part of any animal's nature they want to thrive... we just do it differently because we have incredible minds and thumbs

4. Don't just get a single thought in your head and then go with it it makes people think less of you.

5. However if it truly does bother you that much I suggest instead of looking at the things humans do that are bad try looking at the good

6. number five is gonna be hard unless you get rid of those original thoughts of how bad things are.

7. I hope  this at least gives you a better perspective on your thoughts.

[Gigachip 148]

Because, imo, we like to live with luxuries.

Not many(I know theres got to be a few) want to give up their houses, TVs, PCs, cars, etc, just to not harm the environment.

Plus it comes down to status symbols.

People don't need the fast car, but they can get it.

We don't need a TV for everyone in the family but some do it anyway.

^ each of those takes from the earth to give to humans.

[~Master~ Button Mash 2,307]

I know the feeling. My town is pretty much the same way. There's a big refinery about two miles from the university, and day and night you can see the thing pumping out smoke and steam. There's also little in the way of natural vegetation out here. The winter season making everything cold and grey doesn't help, either.

 

I think human need to learn that being the dominant species doesn't just come with a lot of free benefits, but rather also comes with an immense amount of responsibility. We may be the apex species, but I think that the  distant "view from the top" makes us forget all the other species we depend on for survival. We can't just take and take and take without giving something back, because some day those that gave so much to us will be gone.

 

If the top of a pyramid doesn't have a strong foundation to be built upon, it will crumble, and so to is human civilization. Even if our nests are a bit more complex than that of other creatures, we are still children of the Earth like everything else, whether we like it or not, and as such we are part of an ecoSYSTEM - we are in a symbiotic relationship with everything else on this planet, be it directly or indirectly - meaning we are in this together with every other creature on this planet, no matter how big or how small. Unless we stop being looters and start being stewards, things are only going to get worse.

Edited January 11, 2013 by StratoPegasus

[EldarSteve 119]

This is what evolution is, All species competing to be the dominant one that rules the world. We are animals so by extension what we are doing is inevitable, if humans hadn't have evolved into existence some other species would have. No doubt being as draconian if not more so then us. 

Besides all that hog wash of us destroying the planet is preposterous. We are smart, in fact it is our only redeeming feature. There are people doing good with the time they have, creating alternative energy sources etcetera etcetera and eventually a time will come when we live in harmony with our surroundings.

[Hansel 1,511]

and I feel kind of disgusted. My town has ten thousand people but it's still considered one of the smaller towns. I am kind of horrified of the implications of urban sprawl. Until looking at how it affected even my area I didn't realize quite how bad it was. It's like humans forget other creatures exist and we just do what feels good.

 

To further elaborate, I was thinking, why are humans so determined to take everything, until there is nothing left?

 

Why do we suck the Earth dry?

 

Why do we suck the stars dry?

 

Why are we so evil? We leech off our surroundings and all we do is harm the environment. We harm other creatures, marvelous gifts of nature, and for what? Our egos?

 

Why do we hurt so much?

 

Why?

 

We haven't sucked the Earth dry, and we deffinatly haven't sucked any stars dry. Good and Evil are subjective terms, I don't think "leeching" off our enviroment is evil, most animals do it, we just do it better. Taking advantage of our surroundings is in our nature and I think It has more to do with survival and comfort then ego.

 

But that's just my two pennies, anyway.

[Harmonic Revelations 8,833]

This is what evolution is, All species competing to be the dominant one that rules the world. We are animals so by extension what we are doing is inevitable, if humans hadn't have evolved into existence some other species would have. No doubt being as draconian if not more so then us. 

 

Besides all that hog wash of us destroying the planet is preposterous. We are smart, in fact it is our only redeeming feature. There are people doing good with the time they have, creating alternative energy sources etcetera etcetera and eventually a time will come when we live in harmony with our surroundings.

I think just the fact that we are able to have this conversation disproves your argument. We are able to comprehend the consequences of our actions, so we should really be doing more to help the world instead of harm it. It is good that we have alternate energy resources and they will help but to truly fix our levels it also requires participation on the indivisual basis.

[John 793]

  Because according to the father of Philosophy, Descartes, life that is not sentient cannot experience reality to the same degree and thus should not be valued as much.  (Descartes saw animals as organic machines.)

 

Source: http://www.philosophypages.com/hy/4b.htm

(2 paragraphs into the "Anticipated Results" subsection.)

 

I can't complain about this view.  If you walk outside and squash an ant, sure the ant feels "pain," but it cannot interpret the pain the way more complex life can.

Edited January 11, 2013 by John