So, are we a disease ? There are a lot of reasons to claim such a state and a lot of reasons to claim otherwise. Our rapid disintegration of the natural environment around us to create “new” environments of our own making such as elaborate cities, the siphoning of earth’s natural resources, and the resultant increase in our population are all reasons. This really is no different from what a cockroach or a locust does in this very same planet. We may just be doing it a bit better. There are not many of us who are quite friendly with a cockroach or a locust.
Be that as it may, we must acknowledge that no matter what we throw at them, they keep coming back. Their resilience is almost a parallel to our own in terms of survival. We must understand that a cockroach or a locust is not trying to destroy the world. It is only trying to survive in order to procreate and carry on with its existence. This is what we do as well. We have always tried to continue our existence, in different forms. But, there is a very fine line defining our status as a species or as a parasite from the planet’s perspective. James Lovelock defined Gaia in his Gaia Hypothesis as "a complex entity involving the Earth's biosphere, atmosphere, oceans, and soil; the totality constituting a feedback or cybernetic system which seeks an optimal physical and chemical environment for life on this planet."
Lovelock’s hypothesis also considers that the organism most likely to spread the seeds of Gaia across the universe as evidenced by our pursuits in space exploration. If evolution were to be accepted, then we can comfortably state that we have achieved a good position as a "species" on this planet. Thus, if we are the most favored organism on the planet, then surely we will accept such a destiny. This destiny is also a responsibility and we must undertake it with surgical precision and a new mindset.
Such a frame of mind definitely calls for a huge change in our collective consciousness. By change, I do not mean a sudden uniformity in consciousness. I would rather call for a gradual sustainable change with long term realizable visions based on current speculations and aspirations. The former president of India, Dr.Abdul Kalam, gave India its most formidable vision to become a developed country by the year 2020. He named it Vision 2020.
Article comments
1 - duane
This is really a mess V.R. Sorry, but you're trying to cover too much. It's not coherent.
2 - Raga
It sounds like you are searching for answers to questions raised by modern science and philosophy. Might I suggest that you look into Matrixism. Matrixism is a religion/philosophy based on modern science. It draws from the movie The Matrix as well Aldous Huxley's The Doors of Perception and Island.