As a collective, the human race likes to separate our unique species from the rest of the natural world. Most of “us” turn our noses up to animalistic behavior, as we are far too civilized to engage in such crude behavior. Why is it that we see ourselves as separate, or above nature? If you think about it, we the “highly evolved” human race are in fact animals. We pride ourselves on being the top of the food chain, yet we are not particularly well equipped physically for such an accomplishment.
When you think about it, we are actually quite vulnerable. Although we may be physically unequipped animals, there is one thing that sets us apart from the rest of the natural world. It has nothing to do with our physical capabilities, but rather our mental capacities. Research has shown that the human race possesses a high degree of intellect – comparatively – although at times one could argue against this point. We possess self-awareness and rationality. We have capacity for language and ability to make decisions based on personal experiences and imparted knowledge. However, does this make the human race superior? Are we really separate from nature? What would the world look like if we were all to embrace our natural roots – even just a little bit? I am not talking about going back to live in caves – but is it really necessarily for us to have multiple cars, pave the entire planet, and fill every free space with retail opportunities?
Why are we as a collective more interested in possession, rather than experiences? What needs to happen for humankind to put aside their egos, drop out of the bigger, better, fancier, more expensive competition and figure out what is best for the collective rather than the individual? We see ourselves as separate from nature, yet the ironic twist of fate is we cannot survive without water, air, food – we cannot survive without what we are trying so hard to get rid of in our pursuit of pleasure.
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