MITCHELL McIVOR
Opinions Writer
Dear Mother Nature,
I don’t know what you’re trying to pull, but I don’t like it and I want you to know that I’m on to you.
Come on: global warming, endangered species, habitat destruction, environmental degradation in general — do you really think we are going to fall for this? We’ve evolved, Mother Nature. What are you waiting for?
Mother Nature
Don’t expect us to help you, either. Suck it up and quit whining. We can do a lot more damage before we need to fix you and don’t think we won’t. And if you fail the poor and kill them off, we’ll move on. I don’t know if you realize this, Mother Nature, but we have science — and you do not. We are a terribly smart species, and frankly, we don’t need you anymore.
Through the marvels of science, we’ll find a way to live on without you. So what if our entire existence is dependent upon non-renewable resources (including most of the new “green” technologies)? That’s nothing we can’t overcome.
There’s not a disease out there that science won’t be able to cure. Terrorism has nothing on modern military technology. I mean, look at how the United States has managed to put an end to terrorism by harnessing science’s newest weaponry. No flaw in that logic — that’s cold hard fact!
And as for natural disasters — do your worst! We’ll hold telethons. And if the disasters are really bad, we’ll hold celebrity telethons.
What I’m trying to say, Mother Nature, is that your incessant whining doesn’t scare us. I want to make it very clear that our science has made you utterly irrelevant. We will not change our lifestyles just because you are living in the past and refuse to adapt.
I realize that your whining has managed to convince some of my fellow citizens that you are in dire need of assistance. You’re a deceptive little creature, Mother Nature, and “saving the world” almost seems to be the newest, coolest trend. And so I will play along by turning my lights off for one hour a year and by seeing your newest Disney movie but I want you to know that when I do these things, I’m doing them for myself, not for you.
In a certain way, I want to help you, Mother Nature. I want to help you fix your thinking and realize that you are on your own.
You seem to think that we care about continuity and about future generations. We do not. I am 21 years old and the previous generation has taught me not to care about the state of the planet. I’m smart — I know that I will likely be dead before a real crisis arises. And regardless, just think of how advanced our science will have become by then!
Do not for a second think that I care about the generations that will follow. Like the generation before me, I couldn’t care less! You seem to think we care about a lot of things. I will let you in on a little secret: there is not much we humans care about at all beyond ourselves, our immediate family (and even then, only sometimes), and our material possessions and social status.
We care about other people only in terms of how they perceive us, my dear Mother Nature. If you want us to care about you, may I make a suggestion? Develop a sense of self-worth and make judgments of us for a change. Maybe then we’ll help you.
I am not personally responsible for your destruction, Mother Nature, nor are any of my fellow citizens. Quite simply, you have no one to blame for your destruction but yourself. I’m sorry to break the news to you, but I thought you should know.
To summarize, I would ask that you stop whining, because the destruction you face is your own damn fault. We have science, after all, so we don’t really need you anyway. Your fate, like the fate of every human being, rests entirely in your own hands and whatever happens happens. There is no excuse for your degradation and this, Mother Nature, is entirely your own doing.
Sincerely,
Mitchell McIvor,
on behalf of all citizens of contemporary capitalist society
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image: Flickr
