I believe step one in creating a new future depends on us agreeing as a species that humanity should not be destructive – but beneficial.
In the 21st century globalized world, our population and consumption patterns have tended away from balance. Agriculture, extraction, civilization and industry leave behind an impoverished world with less life, toxic pollutants, and degraded ecosystems. By its very nature this cannot persist into the future, and common sense would dictate this is not right – hence the desire for “sustainability”.
But in a world where we have wrought so much damage already – 90% of the big fish are gone, 75% of the forests are gone – aiming for sustainability is not enough. Humanity needs to transition into a new paradigm – the beneficial human – where our lives benefit life, the earth and the future.
We know how to do this already and it is a beautiful possibility. We aren’t moving in this direction because we have archaic and corrupted systems of capitalism, growth and government, where the good of the whole (ecosystem, community, future, life) has been subverted by the desires of profitable corporations enabled by a system riddled with flaws.
Environmentalists going up against the biggest corporations and governments has been arduous thus far, so I propose we leapfrog over these battles into the larger more moral / ethical arena and endeavor to get an understanding that we should transition from a species that destroys its home into one that bolsters and benefits its home. Makes sense, right?
If everyone lived like we do in the western world, we’d need six earths to sustain life. What we acquire in the developed world as goods and foods often drain the resources, value and needs of the developing world. Our lives on this planet are in a large way destructive and this I believe to be a moral issue. If we can get an understanding at a high level of government or society that we should not be destructive humans, many of our problems will start to fall away and solve themselves. The backlash from industry would also have to contend with one of the most powerful forces on earth – our humanity and beliefs around a deeply moral issue.
This change would have profound consequences for life on earth. Pollution would be illegal. Expansion and growth would halt or change dramatically. Our products and goods would be made from recycled materials or garbage. We would not dispose of things like we do. Corporations would all have to sequester carbon or restore life as part of their responsibility in accordance with activity they conduct. We would be buying less stuff that was made extraordinarily well, and keeping it for longer.
This may sound like a drastic change, and it is, but it would be amazing. Making pollution illegal will unleash the genius of humanity and the power of corporations to figure out how to conduct their business while not destroying life. Many of our current pollutants (human waste, carbon, fertilizers, metals) are actually valuable resources when used correctly, meaning new industries could be created around this resource capture and exploitation. Perhaps we have a 3 or 4 day work week so we produce less stuff and spend more time giving back and enjoying life.
We should consider “no new development”. Some of the most destructive things on this planet are buildings, requiring enormous amounts of resources and resource transportation in their creation. Don’t you think we have enough people and enough buildings? We should enhance buildings that exist already, bring life to their roofs and walls and ensure they collect energy and water and process waste. There should be committees made of artists, the poor, environmentalists and engineers among others, to approve any new development… if a building is to be built anew, it needs to be amazing aesthetically, in design and function and add tangibly to this world.
Products need to last as long as possible. Planned obsolescence should be illegal. If you want take out, bring your own containers, or pay a hefty tax so that the ones they sell you have offset their damage by benefiting this world.
This seems so fundamental a shift, and so moral an understanding that it seems right for Wildify to start here. How exactly do we get humanity, or governments, or an intergovernmental regulatory body to agree that we should now be beneficial? I don’t know… but international treaties have come to pass on other moral issues that now in hindsight seem absolute no brainers – slavery and child prostitution for example.
This might sound preposterous. But I know some of you will find this exciting and can see through some of the stumbling blocks into a profoundly beautiful journey for yourself and for humanity.
By beginning these discussions, assembling intellects, ideas, people, and a community, the shift has started and we are literally creating the world we want.
Thank you for reading and contributing. Please add anything you think is relevant, post, comment and get involved. I’ve pointed to some burgeoning industries and areas in case your considering a career shift…. I’m not sure yet what form this website will take but will continue to grow it organically, beneficially…
Areas of future growth, investigation and career:
Law – how are we going to get international treaties to push humanity in this direction? What will it take to withstand the lawsuits and lobbyists from destructive industries? How do we make our environmental regulations and laws actually stand firm in the face of huge financial interests?
Ecology, Biology and Chemistry:
How this world works, how to turn deserts into forests, what might be able to “seed” dead lakes and rivers, micro bacteria or fungi that sequester pollutants, the creation of goods
Engineering –
Chemistry and Physics:
Recycling – how to turn our garbage into new products and services.