“We must change our philosophy, abandon our attitude of human superiority and admit that in many cases in natural environments we find ways and means of limiting populations of organisms in a more economical way than we can do it ourselves.” (Carson 261)
Throughout history, man has been shown to attempt to shape the world around their ideal images. From colonization to industrialization, humans have aimed to push the world down a path that will most benefit themselves. However, this is most apparent in human interaction with nature. Be it deforestation or animal population control, no matter the intent, humans are consistently trying to control the natural world. Primarily, though, we end up destroying nature and natural resources for our own personal gain. Oftentimes, people and corporations care little or not at all about the negative effects of these actions. After all, many people in society tend to care far more about how much is in their wallets than how their planet is fairing.
With pesticides alone, it’s shown how detrimental this superiority mindset is to nature. Oftentimes it was shown that the spraying had a multitude of adverse effects. Given all these negatives, there seems to be the blazing question: Why did people continue to spray? The most obvious answer, in my eyes, is that the spraying process gave people a sense of control and power. I’m sure that there were many other factors involved, but there’s also the fact that humans are terribly stubborn. After all, many would be too proud to admit that the thousands of dollars pouring into spraying didn’t work.
Yet, as Carson showed in her novel, man does not need to play god. If we use natural sources and solutions, everyone and everything can thrive. If only we as people attempted to try to find safe and natural solutions for every aspect of nature use. The world would be completely different if we found sustainable and safe practices for commercial and residential life. However, it goes beyond just finding these methods, it comes to practicing them, as well. Unfortunately, that’s a difficult task as oftentimes there is a pushback commercially for these changes to be made. However, that doesn’t change the fact that our world would be completely different if we made a push for clean living and solutions to everyday and large-scale problems.
You're absolutely right. Humans try to do what is "best" for them and don't even consider how bad the backlash could be.
ReplyDeleteI agree, I believe it is important that we understand the consequences that come along with our actions regarding nature. We must stop interfering and just let nature take its course as it is supposed to.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree that most people continued spraying even though there were negative effects because it gave them a sense of power and control. People of Carson's time and probably now too, believe that the technological advancements that are being made are always helping the Earth improve. This gave them a sense of power and control that should not have been had during that time.
ReplyDeleteI believe also we need to stop interfering with nature because it is natural and the things that are happening are supposed to happen. We shouldn't stop or alter the way things happen.
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