June 4, 2009 at 17:28:35

The Short of the Long of It

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By William White (about the author) Page 1 of 1 page(s)

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For OpEdNews: William White - Writer

At the time of the last glacial maximum, about 20,000 years ago, Homo sapiens were under extreme environmental pressure, having endured for thousands of years the worst weather conditions in the last 130,000 years. The estimated total world-wide human population was no more than 10,000 breeding pairs, perhaps as few as a 1,000.

Since then, the human population has experienced an unsustainable increase, which natural forces will likely soon correct. Such corrections tend to occur as abrupt collapses, accompanied by recovery or emergence of affected species and ecological systems. In a very real sense, the earth is experiencing a human swarm, which should soon pass, as all swarms do.

These events are not a moral issue: this imbalance is not our "fault", nor is its correction in any sense "just" or "deserved". Rather, as any swarm, its development and termination are simply natural phenomena.

The triggering terminal event, whether global climate change, nuclear war, recombinant DNA blunder, virus, or whatever, is largely a matter of happenstance; however, what is certain is the scale and abruptness of the correction, because this has already been determined by preconditions established through global events, milder weather and a human population explosion over the last 10,000 years.

Perhaps future humans or successor species may examine our history and be better prepared to assess those events. Whatever our fate, whether our species survives above, at, or below its pre-swarm levels or not at all, the planet Earth is near certain to recover. And, if not, then another star and planet will be along take other shot, or more likely many are already undergoing that process now, beyond our view.

In the meantime, I enjoy my grandson and hopefully leave to him a world he and his may also enjoy for as many generations as we may have left. Who knows, perhaps we will come to our collective senses and beat a reasonable retreat short of the brink, maybe the result of lucky, smaller "worst disaster in human history". I am reminded of a cartoon, in which the leader shouts before his assembled horde "Victory or Death". After much mumbling and dissent, they march happily out of their camp under a banner that reads "Maximum success or a reasonable alternative".

Ah, the wisdom of mobs as opposed to the fate of swarms.

William H. White is Director of Voters for None of the Above

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