Mike Sauers
August 14, 2024
Sapiens like to think of themselves as special. Highly intelligent! Creative! Innovative! Conquerors! Problem solvers! Masters of the planet! Etc., etc.,etc.! From a self-serving, top of the food chain perspective that has limited merit albeit the perspective has blinders on.
In order to achieve this lofty perception, sapiens have had to kill (in so many ways) millions of brothers and sisters. Sapiens stand in a pool of blood with only their nostrils and puckered lips protruding. The Atlanteans (violence prone) and the Lemurians (nurturing intellectuals) continue to do battle (If you believe that version of ancient history). Witness Ukraine/Russia, Yemen/Suadi Arabia, Gaza/Israel, and the Sudan Civil War. There is heart breaking violence/rape/torture/displacement/ death in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Myanmar, Haiti, Mali, Congo, Syria, Burkina Faso, Somalia and many more. Violence trumps conciliation. Violence trumps negotiation. Violence trumps peace. Hate trumps love.
Putting aside our murderous inclinations toward our own kind, let’s take a quick glimpse of how sapiens have treated other species and the planet. I’m going to concentrate on the United States but all of the numbers can be extrapolated to the world. The United States was once a verdant ecosystem with an enormous variety of creatures in astonishing numbers (Wild Animals of North America, National Geographic Society, 1930). Sapiens, including Native Americans, have significantly altered/polluted the ecosystem and wiped out most of the wildlife. Not only have we mercilessly killed the wild flora and fauna, we have transferred our violent behaviors to domesticated creatures. The United States Department of Agriculture reports that approximately 10 billion land animals are slaughtered annually. That would be chickens, turkeys, cattle/calves, pigs, ducks and sheep. Aquatic animal slaughter is approximately 50 billion. This is all for human consumption. This has a huge impact on the environment in terms of land, water, energy and herbicide use. It has a huge impact on human health.
Now, for fun, recreation and bragging rights Americans kill via hunting approximately 2-300,000 million animals per year. They also trap 3-5 million animals for their skins. Additionally, speeding drivers kill approximately 2 billion animals per year. Approximately 110 million animals die in U.S. laboratories every year. Their deaths are painful, as lab animals subjected to testing are often immobilized, mutilated and exposed to toxic substances. Throw in animal deaths due to collisions with tall buildings and predation by feral cats and the numbers soar. It is a miracle that any wildlife exists!
Opponents of the above point to enormous ignorance perpetuated by religions, philosophies, government and mostly rural cultures. While there is some merit to the aforementioned, I place the responsibility on decades of poorly run, underfunded, and propagandizing public schools. For decades students have been cheated by an education system that routinely utilized overcrowded class size, poorly paid and trained teachers, curriculums developed by too few people with a vested interest in promulgating the above atrocities and severe underfunding from both state and federal governments.
The goal of our schools should be to turn out academically proficient young citizens who are independent and critical thinkers capable of solving a variety of problems and engaging in community life. While this happens with students who, because of their natural talents, can survive and succeed in almost any educational setting, the vast majority are not so lucky. What should have been accomplished in 12 years of school will need to be pursued via life. This large gap in education can be blamed for the huge non participation numbers in voting, meeting attendance and engagement in community issues and progress regarding health, education, community, business and overall quality of life.
This is just the tip of the iceberg.
Chew on this. Do some community research. Enjoy.