A Change in Value

I believe that there will be a point in history where the human species will create a sustainable world in which we live in harmony with nature without depleting the planet of its vital resources. With an open mind and steady competence a population can be taught to do with out and to be aware of one self as well as those around them and the world beyond that. At this present point in time ignorance and apathy have spread like a swarm of locusts leaving nothing but devastation and death in its path. The environment that we live in and depend on has been beaten and burned for centuries but it’s only in recent years with the advancement of our society that it has taken a drastic toll. With the technologies of today and of those in the future a sense of harmony can be found through a symbiotic relationship with the environment that has led to our very existence. I do not claim to be anything of an expert in Native American cultures but ever since I found out my great grandfather was Choctaw in elementary school I’ve always envied the few things I managed to learn about the culture and daily life of Native Americans different tribes. One of which is of the most commonly known ideologies that one can live with Mother Nature and that no resource should ever be wasted. With this I can firmly hold on to my belief that even we in our modern society with so much waste and so many people can one day find our place within the environment, not as inhabitants of this earth but as its children caring for the home that fed and provided for us without asking anything in return. The way that people in today’s modern age view the earth is, in my opinion, the first thing that needs to change, not how much we pollute the earth, nor how we strip it of its resources. How the earth is seen can greatly affect the attitude of anyone making those daily choices that add to the further decimation of our home, like the person deciding to toss their cup outside of the window or the person who’s faced with the age old choice of paper or plastic. If these people stopped and thought outside of themselves, outside of their current situation they could see how one measly cup or a single bag is only the smallest fraction of the ever growing problem that’s been ongoing for decades. So before we can switch to renewable resources, before we can create new ways of living, before we can become one with the earth and live with it instead of just on it there needs to be a change, a change not in practice but in value. We as a people, as a human race, have to correct the mistakes of our predecessors and learn to live not for ourselves but for the place we call home.