Change is coming as it always is; but if change has occurred in easily adaptive steps over the past century, or couple of millennia, it has also been steadily increasing its stride, and may be about to take a leap. The world is forever poised at the brink of transformation, but in an era of information and communication, we are easily able to see the signs of imminent change, for the signs are everywhere. More of us are becoming active in our desire for constructive resolution. More are being called back to a sense of spirituality. And more of us are losing our balance on our antiquated social scaffolding. Wherever we look, we see glaring examples of irresponsibility and greed, from the gaping financial chasms between the wealthy and the poor, to the clear-cutting of forests, a primary source of oxygen and wellspring of diversity. With a lackadaisical attitude toward the chemicals we spill into our oceans and atmosphere, and take into our own bodies, we drift along, accepting Reality on any old terms. Is there anyone to blame?
The world changes radically from generation to generation, and each of us is raised in unique environmental realities. It is pointless to blame earlier generations for the problems we have today. Just as we want to live the lifestyle of our choosing, so did our historic counterparts. No one from the past is to blame, neither collectively or individually, for blame is a figment of our imagination, an attempt to reduce our own sense of responsibility, if only for the time it takes to assign blame. It is a fantasy in which we all indulge from time to time, until we stop to realize that each of us is born into social systems (cultures, families, etc.) that constantly exist “around” us, from our perspective. So we are obligated to make our primary choices based on what exists now, wherever we find it, and not on what we wish existed, or on what we fear might change.
It does not take a Nostradamus, an Edgar Cayce, or any other prophet, seer or psychic to predict that the Earth may become a very inhospitable place for Homo Sapiens. Of course, it might not happen for a few years, a few hundred years, or a few millennia. Or it could happen tomorrow! And in case we are tempted to believe that danger is not imminent, we must bear in mind that we have no way of knowing. What we do know is that no other species has altered the environment in so many ways, to such an extent – in so short a time.
As long as we continue to view Nature, as little more than a field of “resources,” and lesser species that exist to be exploited, overpowered, or “managed” by human beings, we will keep desecrating atmosphere, land, and water, with barely a twinge of conscience. Nature then will have no choice but to retaliate, possibly ripping us right out of the picture, according to our wildest ideas of Armageddon. But this is not entertainment; it is not a movie. Nor is it imagination. There has been a lot of heavy‑duty destruction going on for a very long time now, and we have been the sole cause of it.
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