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Permalink Reply by The Shiznit on August 26, 2012 at 4:42pm

One fact that I've learned over the years that is both scary, and yet somewhat comforting at the same time, is that life is about change -- Nothing ever stays the same. So whenever I see an article written by some environmentalist who is passionately trying to tell us all that we should be concerned about some endangered species of animal going extinct, or about the dangers of climate change, etc., I personally don't tend to get very alarmed or upset.  Maybe my attitude is partially related to a type of cultural bias, in that I have never personally had to deal with any extreme changes in my own environment; or maybe it's because of how I look at human beings in general..  Because regardless of how often I talk badly about humanity, in the sense of how stupid I think people are, etc., the fact remains that we are probably the most adaptable species of animal on this planet! and we can live almost anywhere!  Why?  Because if we find a certain environment hostile or unsuitable to us and we don't like it, we fucking change it!  lol 

Again, that could be a good thing, or a bad thing, depending upon how you look at it.  :-)

However, on the flip-side of that, I also think that there is a very good chance that we are going to do something stupid, {like start a nuclear holocaust or create a deadly new virus that we can't control,} and that we will bring about our own extinction as a species.  As comedian George Carlin pointed out so eloquently once, though, the planet won't give a fuck if we do; and there are even some species here that might flourish in the hostile environment that we created after we are gone.  :-)

The one thing that I am concerned about regards the subject of your last series of ethical questions, and that is our responsibility to each other on a global scale; because I've also become fairly convinced that we will not survive the next 50 years as a species if we continue in our current nationalistic and competitive belief systems. So my answer to your question(s) is that, Yes, it is our {"the world's"} responsibility to help each other when bad things happen somewhere; and Yes, we should be concerned for each other on a global scale, and not just because the people who are in distress happen to live in close proximity to us, or because of some nationalistic, patriotic devotion. And, since I feel it is a responsibility, or duty, you are right in that it could not technically be called charity; because charity is something that we do out of kindness and compassion; not out of obligation.  ;-) 

Just for fun, see also: 

8 Species That Are Threatening to Swarm the Globe

Stephen Petranek counts down to Armageddon

Martin Rees asks: Is this our final century?

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