Convenience vs. environment

I do a lot of thinking about humanity's place on the planet. It's an obsession I can't get away from. I guess the big question is "Why are we so different?" Practically every other animal does little more than "eat, shit and fuck", and of course, raise their offspring. Sure, we can say that some animals use "tools" but the tools are taken directly from the environment with little modification. Hell, we've learned to modify molecules!

And sure, you can trace back through the evidence to see how we've evolved big frontal cortices (look at that! my frontal cortex is big enough to Google the plural of cortex!!), but it's still seems strange to me that people are such freaks! It's beautiful, bizarre and frightening at the same time.

Frightening because of our potential for destruction. And frightening because part of us is wired to use any advantage we can - to be greedy and lazy. Our biology kinda wants us to take the easy way out - find a place where the food is plentiful and the predators are few, then enjoy eating, shitting and fucking. We are wired for convenience.

But it is our desire for convenience that is killing us - on an individual and planetary level. Oil is a convenient source of energy, but look what oil is doing to us. "Convenience foods" are convenient, but look at what convenience foods are doing to us. Cable TV is convenient, but look at what cable TV is doing to us.

Yet, in the crisis lies the opportunity. Our big brains are what is going to pull us out of this. Not everyone lives so mindlessly. There are lots of people out there who are living by their principles rather than coasting through life by the most convenient route. It's not always easy, but I think that in living by what we believe, there is hope for a future that is not only sustainable, but harmonious.