I was thinking about all the world’s problems driving home one day, as one does. As luck would have it, I had plenty of time for contemplation, being stuck in traffic. And that’s when I came to an epiphany. Maybe the real problem with the world was there, staring directly back at us.
The Root Cause – Unpacked
The problem with first principles thinking is that if you drill down too far, you sometimes unearth some disconcerting revelations. People are unsatisfied with a plethora of things, encompassing a broad spectrum including: jobs, money, food, water, relationships, land, and the list keeps going and going.
I once tried to talk to an old girlfriend about some issues I was having at my job. Overall, I was pretty miserable. I thought by opening up to her and sharing my unhappiness she might be able to give me some advice. I was looking for some help in dealing with my internal struggles. Her advice:
“Life sucks, get over it.”
Yeah… she was a real peach.
Needless to say, things didn’t work out. But reflecting back on those days, I realized that the first step to solving any problem is understanding there’s something wrong with the situation. Once the pain point is acknowledged and identified, only then might a solution be worked out and implemented. I’d like to put a little spin on an old adage:
“Adversity is the mother of invention”
Take Iron Man for example (bear with me here). Tony Stark had a problem: he was confined to a cave in the clutches of a group of terrorists with machine guns. He had an end goal: he wanted to get out of that cave – alive. He created a plan to achieve his goal: make a badass suit of armor that could shield him from bullets. Then he implemented his plan, created the armor, and busted through the cave to annihilate everyone on his way to freedom.
Maybe you can’t really relate to a fictional superhero taken hostage by a group of terrorists. But how many of us hustle to meet an approaching deadline and have a stroke of brilliance in the final hour to ace the project? Have you ever needed to get out of your comfort zone to help a friend in need?
This is what adversity looks like in the real world – just regular people working our way through the problems we face every day.
Now what happens when we take a 10,000-foot view of humanity as a whole – group all our issues into one big pile, then take a few more steps back to take in the big picture.
We have to start by asking ourselves WHY we have all these issues.
A Thought Experiment
So, what is the underlying root cause for all these difficulties?
Well it’s pretty simple really.
It’s Us…
Humanity.
We are the root cause for all these problems. If there were no humans, we wouldn’t have any problems.
Simple as that.
Kind of a weird line of thinking; but, let’s back up for a second, let’s play the ‘What If’ game. Okay, let’s pretend that there is this alternate earth and for whatever reason our primitive human ancestors never gained the ‘spark’ of intelligence. What would a world be like without humanity? What if humanity never evolved?
All disasters would be from natural causes and not due to human interference in the natural world. Extinction and new species propagation would occur because of natural selection. The environment would be pristine – in the air, in the water, and on land. All the ecosystems of the world would operate in its seamless graceful dance for billions of years.
The creatures of the earth would be exactly suited for their local habitat. Each habitat’s carrying capacity would only be able to support what is reasonable, in terms of biodiversity in the flora and fauna. If anything got too out of whack, natural checks and balances would correct the issue to establish a new equilibrium. Or, in the event there was an actual paradigm change in the habitat, populations would revert to a new normal to compensate and adapt to the changed landscape.
Honestly, this alternate earth sounds pretty peaceful to me. But my point is, any way you slice it, if humans didn’t exist, then none of the issues we face as a species would be a problem. End of story. We wouldn’t be around to have any of those issues.
You wouldn’t have to feed or have clean drinking water for 8 billion people. Artificial products and contaminants released into the atmosphere, oceans, and on land would not exist without humans to make them. Land wouldn’t be used for agriculture, livestock, cities, highways, or houses. There would be no need for energy production and the byproducts of energy consumption. The biosphere with all its natural processes and ecosystems would remain untouched. There would be no deforestation, man-made extinctions, and the world would truly be unspoiled if nature were left to its own devices without human interference.
Kind of rough to think about. We’re the cause of our own problems. Take humans out of the equation and poof, all the issues associated with the human condition immediately evaporate.
This is Awkward…
Okay, so the big hairy elephant in the room… is us.
We’re our own worst enemy. And apparently, we’re also the enemy of every other species on the planet. It seems like the Earth itself isn’t all too happy with us either.
So, now what?
Well, I, for one, kind of like being here. And I’m sure the other 8 billion people on Earth feel the same way too. I don’t think anyone of sound mind would take too kindly NOT being here.
So, since we’re here to stay, we have to level up our game. If humans exist and we have all these issues, how can we deal with the byproducts of humanity?
How do we protect the Earth from ourselves?
Have we really overshot the carrying capacity for the planet? I don’t believe we have. Sure, humans have multiplied well beyond our humble beginnings over the millennia. But I do think that the methods and processes we’re currently using need a complete overhaul. We need to utilize resources more effectively with less waste and minimize our footprint on the natural world as much as possible. We need to implement renewable and sustainable processes, products, and services, so that humans have practically no impact on the planet. Our overall footprint definitely needs to be modified and efficiently maintained in every conceivable way. Definitely, not an easy task.
Question is: can we actually make changes of this magnitude? I can’t answer that question. But I can hope humanity is up for the challenge. In order to get there, we need a plan, or at least a unified direction to move towards.
Up to now, it seems that humanity just haphazardly did ‘stuff’. There wasn’t some deliberate master plan where we worked collectively together to build our modern civilization. As a species, we just go with the flow, make short term decisions, and take a trial and error approach to our actions. If it worked – great! If not, oh well. This will have to change if we want to keep the planet in good working order for our great-great-grandchildren.
We’ll have to figure out unique solutions to the problems associated with the human condition and ways of mitigating our impact on the environment, while also protecting the other inhabitants of our planet.
It’s an immense undertaking for sure; but, I believe, if there’s a plan with the nations of the world backing it, we can change to a more sustainable civilization. This collective undertaking will be a turning point in world history. This will prove, once and for all, that humanity can change for the better. We can be intentional with our decisions to affect a brighter future.
You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.
– Mahatma Gandhi
So Now What?
We’ve established that we’re here to stay. That is our baseline. Let’s move up a level and look at the problems we’re causing as a species. Then, we can address how to remedy those problems in ways that are sustainable and environmentally friendly, so that the earth can be habitable for a long time to come.
Who speaks for the planet and its non-human citizens? If we keep doing what we’re doing, we’re going to eventually doom the planet in some fashion. We need to ensure that future generations get to live on a beautiful and bountiful earth; not some shitty perverse version of a planet that once was.
It doesn’t have to be this way. We have a choice. We can choose to create a better world. I believe, that human ingenuity can overcome any and all obstacles. We’ll have to find novel and big solutions to make sure humanity’s impact on the planet is negligible. We can change our activities to respect the environment and all citizens of the planet.
We have been given the gift of consciousness. Let’s do something BOLD to Save our Planet, so we can honestly say we earned this gift. I can’t think of a higher cause than helping all creatures, both large and small. Let’s be stewards of the environment by defending it, and not ruining it. I don’t know about you, but I’d like to see a prosperous and abundant future for humanity and the planet.
Humanity can turn a new leaf and be the positive force to transform the world into something that can be inhabited by all – peacefully and sustainably. I want to see a future where humans are turned from unintentional destroyers into watchful guardians of a tranquil Earth.
Continue reading to get a deep dive into humanity’s Biggest Problems…
Recommended Reading
This book gives you the framework to work out what’s vital in your life. It really makes you ask, “Is this necessary?” Essentialism is about deliberately choosing the important over the trivial. As the author says, “If you don’t prioritize your life, someone else will.” Definitely a must read if you feel overwhelmed and don’t know where to prioritize your time.
Get your copy at Amazon today – it’s Essential!
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