Why Do Humans Destroy Everything?

[Rival]

Why do we think we have the right to destroy the Earth just because we can?

Why do we cause pollution?
Why do we eat a poor diet then expect someone else to look after us when we get sick, because we chose to eat the wrong foods?
Why do we destroy ecosystems across the board?
Why do we keep animals in factory farms and cause them suffering unimaginable, then wreck the environment with by-products of factory farming?
Why do we fill landfills with waste that won't degrade?
Why do we destroy land with nuclear weapons?
Why do we pollute the water and make it undrinkable?

Just in a foul mood over this today and I'm not sure what gives humans the right even to be here anymore, since all we do is just wreck everything. Other animals live in a very delicate balance that we just don't seem to be a part of (or think we are not a part of). It's depressing. We never seem to be content with what we have and in order to produce more, we wreck more. It's disgusting.

 

[allfoak]

Why do we think we have the right to destroy the Earth just because we can?

Why do we cause pollution?
Why do we eat a poor diet then expect someone else to look after us when we get sick, because we chose to eat the wrong foods?
Why do we destroy ecosystems across the board?
Why do we keep animals in factory farms and cause them suffering unimaginable, then wreck the environment with by-products of factory farming?
Why do we fill landfills with waste that won't degrade?
Why do we destroy land with nuclear weapons?
Why do we pollute the water and make it undrinkable?

Just in a foul mood over this today and I'm not sure what gives humans the right even to be here anymore, since all we do is just wreck everything. Other animals live in a very delicate balance that we just don't seem to be a part of (or think we are not a part of). It's depressing. We never seem to be content with what we have and in order to produce more, we wreck more. It's disgusting.

Why is always a good question.
I call it the exploration of ignorance.
The majority of the population are just trying to live life through whatever means is made available for them to do so.
They don't know that they don't know.

 

[Laika]

Why do we think we have the right to destroy the Earth just because we can?

Why do we cause pollution?
Why do we eat a poor diet then expect someone else to look after us when we get sick, because we chose to eat the wrong foods?
Why do we destroy ecosystems across the board?
Why do we keep animals in factory farms and cause them suffering unimaginable, then wreck the environment with by-products of factory farming?
Why do we fill landfills with waste that won't degrade?
Why do we destroy land with nuclear weapons?
Why do we pollute the water and make it undrinkable?

Just in a foul mood over this today and I'm not sure what gives humans the right even to be here anymore, since all we do is just wreck everything. Other animals live in a very delicate balance that we just don't seem to be a part of (or think we are not a part of). It's depressing. We never seem to be content with what we have and in order to produce more, we wreck more. It's disgusting.

Because our "choices" are built on the illusion of power, when the anarchy of capitalist production means there are clear limits to the power we have and the degree we can control the consequences of our actions. The insistence on competition, whether by individuals or corporation or nation-states, greatly restricts the physical scope of our power even if our religions insist we can play god (but shouldn't or else leave it to only the "right" kind of people).

if we had an all powerful totalitarian system to stop such destruction, for it to work it is dependent on the belief that our capacity for sadism is a perversion of the pleasure principle and so is the exception rather than the rule. Sadism may just a way of compensating for our vulnerabilities based on a implict awareness of our inferiority before the awesome power of nature and society.

But the thought of inflicting suffering on all the helpless annoying little people is just so much fun!

Wow! Pretty cloud!

 

[Mindmaster]

Why do we think we have the right to destroy the Earth just because we can?

Why do we cause pollution?
Why do we eat a poor diet then expect someone else to look after us when we get sick, because we chose to eat the wrong foods?
Why do we destroy ecosystems across the board?
Why do we keep animals in factory farms and cause them suffering unimaginable, then wreck the environment with by-products of factory farming?
Why do we fill landfills with waste that won't degrade?
Why do we destroy land with nuclear weapons?
Why do we pollute the water and make it undrinkable?

Just in a foul mood over this today and I'm not sure what gives humans the right even to be here anymore, since all we do is just wreck everything. Other animals live in a very delicate balance that we just don't seem to be a part of (or think we are not a part of). It's depressing. We never seem to be content with what we have and in order to produce more, we wreck more. It's disgusting.

1) Pollution only kills us, the stuff was always here. We don't "create" it. We can take something from the ground and put it into the air, but it will go back into the ground... eventually, lol. What is considered pollution is always changing, but by far the largest culprit is agricultural runoff. Don't think you're saving the planet by going vegan, etc...

2) Dietary knowledge is scientific, thus it is a moving target. It is impossible to actually know if the next bite of food you eat is mildly toxic. What is healthy now is deadly later, so best not worrying about it. Some people will win the health lottery and some won't.

3) Destroying is inaccurate, any void created will merely be filled by more superior and resilient creatures. Even if that means we eliminate ourselves, for the human 2.0 or the AI.

4) Your other questions have been answered.

 

[Kirran]

Lack of long-term thinking, either by laziness or through not having the luxury available due to economic marginalisation. IMO.

 

[Rival]

2) Dietary knowledge is scientific, thus it is a moving target. It is impossible to actually know if the next bite of food you eat is mildly toxic. What is healthy now is deadly later, so best not worrying about it. Some people will win the health lottery and some won't.

By diet I mean stuff like candy. Full of empty calories, offers no nutrition whatsoever and just rots teeth. Or other junk foods. These things are causing huge numbers of problems that could easily be avoided simply by eating better.

 

[Rapha]

The Cannanites who work for the reptile LuzerFuhrer want to wipe out the Adamites (Christians).

Lucifer hates life and wants humans dead so his reptile demon spawn buddies can control the planet. Its as simple as that.

 

[Stevicus]

Why do we think we have the right to destroy the Earth just because we can?

Why do we cause pollution?
Why do we eat a poor diet then expect someone else to look after us when we get sick, because we chose to eat the wrong foods?
Why do we destroy ecosystems across the board?
Why do we keep animals in factory farms and cause them suffering unimaginable, then wreck the environment with by-products of factory farming?
Why do we fill landfills with waste that won't degrade?
Why do we destroy land with nuclear weapons?
Why do we pollute the water and make it undrinkable?

Just in a foul mood over this today and I'm not sure what gives humans the right even to be here anymore, since all we do is just wreck everything. Other animals live in a very delicate balance that we just don't seem to be a part of (or think we are not a part of). It's depressing. We never seem to be content with what we have and in order to produce more, we wreck more. It's disgusting.

Most of what we've done in terms of technology and industry is to try to enhance life and make it better. I don't think that there was any active intention to destroy the Earth. A few centuries ago, we might have been more in balance in with nature, but life was harsh and short. Very little in the way of medical care. No antibiotics, no cures. Food was not as plentiful because they couldn't produce as much nor get it very far due to limited transportation.

But the other side of the equation is that, with more food and medicine comes more people living longer and consuming more - which drives up demand for even more stuff. All of what humans do on this Earth would be far more manageable and tolerable if there weren't so many people. So, the real question, above all the other questions you're asking here, is why do humans feel they have the right to breed incessantly?

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

Hubris and stupidity, which stems from ignorance.

Why do we eat a poor diet then expect someone else to look after us when we get sick, because we chose to eat the wrong foods?

This doesn't fit with the others.

 

[Valjean]

Biology.
Millions of years of neurological tuning for a hunter-gatherer lifestyle.
Our brains are wired for tribal competition and short-term benefits; exploiting Nature, exploiting the tribe in the next valley.

Cosmopolitanism and long term planning were never of any use to stone age peoples, and our hard-wired psychology reflects this.

 

[LuisDantas]

Human nature simply predisposes us towards a predactory lifestyle.

It is our duty as sentient beings to rise over that tendency.

 

[sayak83]

Why do we think we have the right to destroy the Earth just because we can?

Why do we cause pollution?
Why do we eat a poor diet then expect someone else to look after us when we get sick, because we chose to eat the wrong foods?
Why do we destroy ecosystems across the board?
Why do we keep animals in factory farms and cause them suffering unimaginable, then wreck the environment with by-products of factory farming?
Why do we fill landfills with waste that won't degrade?
Why do we destroy land with nuclear weapons?
Why do we pollute the water and make it undrinkable?

Just in a foul mood over this today and I'm not sure what gives humans the right even to be here anymore, since all we do is just wreck everything. Other animals live in a very delicate balance that we just don't seem to be a part of (or think we are not a part of). It's depressing. We never seem to be content with what we have and in order to produce more, we wreck more. It's disgusting.

99% of all species that have ever lived on earth in "balance" with nature are extinct.
We are trying to change the rules by staging a mutiny in the ship.
So the ship (the planet) is lurching a bit until who exactly the captain is , nature or us, is fixed.
The crew is also undecided. Some of the crew (the domestic animals and crows) have switched allegiance, others are fighting.
Its kind of a mess, there is going to be a purge (6th great extinction) either way. Who is going to be thrown overboard is as yet unclear.
Interesting (or horrific) times anyway you look at it.

 

[BSM1]

Why do we think we have the right to destroy the Earth just because we can?

Why do we cause pollution?
Why do we eat a poor diet then expect someone else to look after us when we get sick, because we chose to eat the wrong foods?
Why do we destroy ecosystems across the board?
Why do we keep animals in factory farms and cause them suffering unimaginable, then wreck the environment with by-products of factory farming?
Why do we fill landfills with waste that won't degrade?
Why do we destroy land with nuclear weapons?
Why do we pollute the water and make it undrinkable?

Just in a foul mood over this today and I'm not sure what gives humans the right even to be here anymore, since all we do is just wreck everything. Other animals live in a very delicate balance that we just don't seem to be a part of (or think we are not a part of). It's depressing. We never seem to be content with what we have and in order to produce more, we wreck more. It's disgusting.

Ha! The bigger question is why do the moles destroy my front yard? Or why did the rat destroy the wiring in my '97 Dodge Caravan? Or why did the deer destroy my tomato plants? As you can see, there is plenty of blame to go around.

 

[Rival]

Hubris and stupidity, which stems from ignorance.

This doesn't fit with the others.

I am thinking very broadly. This includes destroying our own bodies. The questions weren't a comprehensive list.

 

[A Vestigial Mote]

1) Pollution only kills us, the stuff was always here. We don't "create" it. We can take something from the ground and put it into the air, but it will go back into the ground... eventually, lol.

Horribly inaccurate. Using our "vast intelligence" we have concocted molecules and substances that wouldn't have come about or existed naturally - or at the very least not in the volumes we have manufactured - had it not been for our meddling, and there are a great many of these that have potential to do, and do substantial harm to the life-forms of this planet. Go find me some naturally occurring DDT, VX, the ever-lasting "Styrofoam", the amount of PFOA created as by product to certain industrial manufacturing processes. And these are just a few that we know about.

What is considered pollution is always changing, but by far the largest culprit is agricultural runoff. Don't think you're saving the planet by going vegan, etc...

Wait... "agricultural runoff?" This is complete misdirection on your part - and was probably brought to your attention by some piece of propaganda. RAISING AND HARVESTING VEGETABLES does not cause intrinsic harmful substances to be released into the environment. The real issue is that the irrigation run off PICKS UP POLLUTION - pollution that we humans put there in almost all cases - and carries it to water sources. To blame the growing and harvesting of the vegetation is irresponsible to say the least. We should look first at the processes that put the pollution into the environments in the first place for the blame. We have to eat something, after all.

2) Dietary knowledge is scientific, thus it is a moving target. It is impossible to actually know if the next bite of food you eat is mildly toxic. What is healthy now is deadly later, so best not worrying about it. Some people will win the health lottery and some won't.

Dodging the obvious bullet of people making choices all the time that they KNOW are unhealthy. "Best not to worry about it." Genius!

3) Destroying is inaccurate, any void created will merely be filled by more superior and resilient creatures. Even if that means we eliminate ourselves, for the human 2.0 or the AI.

I understand the sentiment - and it is probably accurate - if we make the planet uninhabitable and all die off, something will move on, survive and even thrive. But this is no reason to propagate or uphold poor behavior that leads to any of that- or even has the potential to. It just isn't smart - and I thought humans were supposed to be smart.

 

[Mindmaster]

By diet I mean stuff like candy. Full of empty calories, offers no nutrition whatsoever and just rots teeth. Or other junk foods. These things are causing huge numbers of problems that could easily be avoided simply by eating better.

What is considered junk changes with time as well.

Most of the food in the average human diet contains a ton of empty calorie carbs... There is as much "sugar" in a slice of bread as there is in a handful of candy. Most "enriched flour products" are just as bad as "junk" food or worse but are still recommended to be consumed by dietary authorities. Biologically, you should never consume grain since we aren't able to deal with it over the long term without getting diabetes. We adapted to it because you can have a bowl of soup and a few pieces of bread and plow an entire field, and it isn't so bad if you are doing this sort of labor and using these "empty" calories. Our lifestyles have changed, but our diets are relatively traditional in comparison -- food is part of our culture. Most of our diet contains flour or sugar as an additive because the bulk availability of these items is largely what makes us able to feed billions. Humanity has had times when a lump of bread and some broth was what you got, and no doubt it has kept us alive in hard times and probably won't go anywhere. The health concerns were obviously secondary to outright starvation.

Now, if flour is "junk" (and it rightly should be) what can you eat without it? It's hard, trust me. I eat absolutely no products that do not contain 100% whole gain if I can help it for that reason. The whole grain keeps your blood sugar from spiking, and getting the after meal crash you would experience with a large influx of carbs. You also are more "full" from the fiber content, and thus tend to eat less.

We eat a lot of toxic things:

Flour
Sugar
Red Dye #5
MSG
Salt
Etc

It's all about quantity, and quality. The carbs are not so bad in whole grain food, or when coupled with large amounts of protein or fat. Eating fat is actually healthy compared to eating sugar too -- sugar tends to be converted immediately to body fat whereas excess fat largely passed through.

 

[Rival]

What is considered junk changes with time as well.

Most of the food in the average human diet contains a ton of empty calorie carbs... There is as much "sugar" in a slice of bread as there is in a handful of candy. Most "enriched flour products" are just as bad as "junk" food or worse but are still recommended to be consumed by dietary authorities. Biologically, you should never consume grain since we aren't able to deal with it over the long term without getting diabetes. We adapted to it because you can have a bowl of soup and a few pieces of bread and plow an entire field, and it isn't so bad if you are doing this sort of labor and using these "empty" calories. Our lifestyles have changed, but our diets are relatively traditional in comparison -- food is part of our culture. Most of our diet contains flour or sugar as an additive because the bulk availability of these items is largely what makes us able to feed billions. Humanity has had times when a lump of bread and some broth was what you got, and no doubt it has kept us alive in hard times and probably won't go anywhere. The health concerns were obviously secondary to outright starvation.

Now, if flour is "junk" (and it rightly should be) what can you eat without it? It's hard, trust me. I eat absolutely no products that do not contain 100% whole gain if I can help it for that reason. The whole grain keeps your blood sugar from spiking, and getting the after meal crash you would experience with a large influx of carbs. You also are more "full" from the fiber content, and thus tend to eat less.

We eat a lot of toxic things:

Flour
Sugar
Red Dye #5
MSG
Salt
Etc

It's all about quantity, and quality. The carbs are not so bad in whole grain food, or when coupled with large amounts of protein or fat. Eating fat is actually healthy compared to eating sugar too -- sugar tends to be converted immediately to body fat whereas excess fat largely passed through.

Yup, I know all this. A good diet is choc full of veg, fruit, nuts and legumes. There are only a small handful of grains we can digest with ease.

However, the sugar in your vegetable soup and so on is mostly added. Natural sugars do occur, but we feel the need to put more in. This should stop too.

So yes, most of the 'food' we eat is junk - because we made it that way. As per ****ing usual, we couldn't even get vegetable soup right. Pathetic.

 

[Quintessence]

When I get in a mood like that, I remind myself to put things into their proper context.

First and foremost, I aim to remember that the universe is constantly undergoing change and transformation. Nothing remains fixed and stagnant; matter and energy are constantly being exchanged. Humans choose to call some parts of that process "destruction" and others "creation," even though when one happens, the other is always happening in tandem. The question needs to be asked, then: "why do I call this destruction instead of creation?"

The answer often relates to our personal values. Where something we value is transformed into something we do not value, we are more apt to put the word "destroyed" on it. It is a suitably angry, outraged word to express how we feel about something we like being made into something else. And in that outrage, we forget that the process is as natural and normal as everything else, regardless of how we feel about it.

I also aim to remember lessons I have learned through studying the sciences. Humans are hardly unique in their "destructive" capabilities. All organisms will utilize resources in their environment to the best extent they can to perpetuate and sustain themselves. These activities become limited by various biotic and abiotic factors. Organisms that are generalists run into those limits more slowly than those that are specialists. Humans are not specialists, they are generalists. Their versatility enables them to circumvent limits, but never indefinitely. There are always costs. They are being paid now, and they will continue to be paid in the future: humans have kicked off a sixth mass extinction event. To our knowledge, no other species in the history of this planet has been responsible for such a thing.

For a species that thinks of itself as being forward-looking and rational, it behaves like any other animal does. I anticipate it will continue to do so, to the detriment of itself and our current planetary biodiversity. Several million years from now, after the sixth mass extinction has run its course and the human population has been corrected, new biological diversity will begin to build. After every mass extinction event, new biodiversity arises. None of us here will be around to see it, but it will happen.

 

[A Vestigial Mote]

I also aim to remember lessons I have learned through studying the sciences. Humans are hardly unique in their "destructive" capabilities. All organisms will utilize resources in their environment to the best extent they can to perpetuate and sustain themselves.

The difference being that many animals that may consume until there is no more to be consumed do not really "know better". Each of the members is simply trying to do their best to survive, and they each take the resources as they can to do so. There are exceptions (emperor penguins - the males protecting the eggs for months while females make long treks for food, open-water sharks - whose very economy of movement is paramount, and who will pass up a chance at a risky meal to conserve the energy for the long haul - but my belief is that their "intuition" in the matter comes from instinctual knowledge brought about by times of scarcity throughout generations. In many species, each member will also attempt procreation when they feel compelled - regardless the outlook on continued livelihood and availability of said resources that their spawn may be birthed into. Humans, however, have the capacity to "look ahead", to realize that current modes of livelihood may not be sustainable (I mean, obviously we have this capacity - hence the reason discussions like this are started) - and we have the ability to course correct. I would argue that many animals do not have this capacity to the extent that we do.

And this is the crux of the matter. Given the knowledge that we are possibly "living" ourselves out of continued existence, are we willing to do anything about it? Or do we simply grab our allotment of sustenance, find a corner and scarf it down while the our world changes around us beyond the threshold of our ability to continue to thrive?

 

[Quintessence]

And this is the crux of the matter. Given the knowledge that we are possibly "living" ourselves out of continued existence, are we willing to do anything about it? Or do we simply grab our allotment of sustenance, find a corner and scarf it down while the our world changes around us beyond the threshold of our ability to continue to thrive?

Some are willing to do something about it. Others are not. More than likely, the momentum of those willing will not be enough. Volunteerism will not be enough. The measures needed to curtail the issues in the most efficient fashion are not discussed, as they are considered unacceptable sacrifices. It grates like sandpaper against the mythological narratives told by my countryfolk. They won't have it.