PCC News Monthly September 2016 | Page 10

Life on a Planet

Part 2
Marveling at our vast universe , I doubt weʼre capable of knowing where the center is , or if there is a center . Weʼre not even the center of our solar system . In fact , the Earth may look kinda mediocre ,
Larry Wonderling except itʼs a very rare biosphere that miraculously supports our survival needs . Although I donʼt understand any aspect of its incredible complexity , I must at least accept what are eons beyond my comprehension as “ no accident .” Consequently , Iʼll conclude this column with more pragmatic issues related to how we can most effectively care for ourselves and our “ home ,” planet Earth . Our earthly survival begins with the acknowledgement that we “ humans and the planet we live on are both fragile atomic specks ” in a vast universe that we may never fully understand . Yet , we humans have masterful intellectual properties that can be markedly beneficial or dangerous , depending on how we use them . Our planet has all the ingredients to nurture all its inhabitants for more years than we can imagine , provided we stop abusing other humans as well as animals . Obviously , unless we care for the earth , it will deteriorate until useless to humanity . Unfortunately , our planet began gradually falling apart years ago with the carelessly over-plundering our oceans of their once plentiful fish . Plundering is probably the appropriate term for our blood sport excessive killing of land animals as well , while devastating landscapes , animal sanctuaries , and geological preserves — not to mention killing each other . Paradoxically , the excessive use of our planetʼs natural resources is not just about greed , that word so often associated with humans , itʼs about our ever increasing population growth that societies donʼt seem to manage very well . Perhaps , similar to the wealth inequality in the U . S ., thereʼs a food and water inequality throughout our planet . As Iʼve mentioned
See Wonderling , page 11
10 September 2016 pccnews