The fate of the planet.


The above photo is of a male splendid fairy-wren, a bird indigenous to Australia.  I photographed it during the height of breeding season; it was vigorously chasing a potential mate.  I followed the antics of the creature during the pursuit.  It paused, only for a moment, but long enough for me to capture this image.  Then it was a streak of black and blue again obeying its nature and the drive to procreate.

Nature has a way of balancing the forces of life.  Populations wax and wane over time with many factors at play.  The availability of food, number of predators, weather, and a host of other biotic and abiotic influences are responsible for this endless cycle.  The only species on the planet that does not follow this pattern is mankind.  

We are clever and have the dexterous ability to create and manipulate tools.  Our success has been logarithmic with the population exploding to unsustainable values.  Our success in overcoming diversity and molding the environment to suit our needs has been the premier reason behind this.  Science has led the way; we have been only too eager to embrace the discoveries that have fostered the comfort and lifestyle desired.  It is ironic that science has also shown us the impending doom we are facing because of the choices we make.  We are just too selfish to consider the inconvenient truth behind it.

I watched an amazing video last night on Netflix.  It was a show narrated by David Attenborough, perhaps the planet's foremost advocate.  It is called Breaking Boundaries and presents Johan Rockstrom's ideas on the planet's current status regarding nine factors responsible for its homeostasis - the balance of forces to allow life to exist on Earth.

The basic idea is that any one factor has a threshold whereby recovery is impossible once it has been pushed past the point of no return.  The boundaries include "climate change, biosphere integrity, ocean acidification, the depletion of the ozone layer, atmospheric aerosol pollution, biogeochemical flows ... freshwater use, land system change, and the release of novel chemicals." (click here for reference).  Together, the two document compelling evidence to suggest that we are on the precipice of a disaster from which humanity will not recover.

The fairy wren I photographed and it's kin likely have died since the photo was taken.  You see, I shot it the year before Australia had that horrible wildfire that destroyed some three billion animals.  It is a sobering thought and foreshadows our own fate should we not take control.

I fear that our united stupidity will inevitably lead to a dystopian future with little hope.  Consider what is going on in the world with Russia, China, overfishing, and deforestation - all in the name of greed and securing a dollar or a bit of land.  We should not be fighting each other, but fighting for our survival.  Otherwise, we may be just like the now-deceased fairy wren that used to be so beautiful and magnificent.

Thanks for reading.   www.ericspix.com




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

I found a black widow spider in a plant pot today

Image
The spider I found is a western black widow spider, one of three species of black widow that occur in North America.  The fact that this one has another red patch on the back of its abdomen above the spinnerettes tells us that it is an immature individual. The one thing that people know about black widow spiders is that they are extremely poisonous.  Their venom is something like 15x more toxic than that of a rattlesnake.  The saving grace is that there is very little venom injected from a black widow bite than what a rattlesnake can deliver.   The good news is that black widow bites seldom lead to death.  You are more likely to suffer nausea, muscle pain, and swelling around the bite.  Symptoms usually last only 12 hours or so.  Death may be a result in people with compromised immune systems or in the very young or the elderly.   In 2018, it was reported that there were 1015 cases of people bitten by black widows.  Of those, there ...
Read more

The passing of a generation

Image
Kathryn's mom and dad with our children, Josh and Leanne. A generation, for North America, tends to be between 20 and 30 years.  During that time a couple will give birth and raise children to see them repeat the pattern as they themselves have done.  Each generation has its own set of standards, values, and ideals based upon their experiences and culture, and some of that is passed down to their offspring.  What changes are the life experiences of the following generation and the new customs and ideals that are blended together as a couple becomes a family. Kathryn's mom passed away a few days ago, she was predeceased by her husband several years ago.  Both of them were the grandparents of my children, the mother and father of my wife, Kathryn.  It was my pleasure to know them and to love them as my own, for to me they were Mom and Dad.  And they were there to welcome my children into the world just as my children were with them in spirit when they left it...
Read more

Hang in there, things will get better.

Image
The Svendsen Family - Eric, Samuel, Leanne, Joshua (top row), Nora, Kathryn, Chanelle, Emma If I could go back, in my mind, to a day in my life when I was really down, it would be nice to be able to see into the future.  If could see things as they are today, with the many blessings that have been given to me, it would give me hope knowing that things wouldn't always be so discouraging.   The message here is we do not know what the future holds.  When things are bad, it is hard to raise your head out of the mire to see beyond the darkness.  There are no guarantees, of course, that things will be better, but I think it is true that fortunes ebb and flow as tides do.  The trick is to see beyond the low points and not be too haughty during the high ones.  I know that, at this moment, things are very good.  What the future holds is unknown, but low and high points are likely in the forecast.   This is why taking satisfaction from the moment ...
Read more