Respect and a Healthy World

Based on my research, there have always been two groups of people: those who respect other species enough to let them share the world, and those who see them as resources to be consumed and competitors for dominance of the world. These groups each have two subgroups: those who want maximum happiness for themselves; and those who want to have the most descendants.

Most people have always been in the second group, consuming and competing with the rest of the Nature, and in the subgroup adding more people. Until the beginning of the oil age, one in six people were in the first group, respecting other species; after that, those who were leaving more descendants moved to the second group rather than die. All that was left of the first group was the few hundred who were maximizing their happiness while sharing parts of the world that could still support them and other species, and even that small population began to dwindle.

The number and populations of other species have continued to fall under the onslaught of those who don't respect them, and now more rapidly as we pass the point where there are not enough of them to support their lives or ours. Arguably this places us in a dying world, as opposed to a heathy world like that which existed when a substantial part of our population was still in the respectful group. If even a tiny fraction of us are to survive the great extinction we have unleashed, we must try to make parts of the world healthier and ensure that they stay that way.

Changing even part of the world begins with changing what causes us to continue doing damage. One way to start is to all agree that the respectful group was right and the majority group was wrong.

This is unlikely since the majority seems to be under the impression that the same approach which enabled them to conquer the world can somehow help them escape the consequences of it, perhaps to the point of moving to another world that can be conquered. This is encouraged by the prospect of super-intelligent quantum computers, lifesaving biotechnology, and cheap energy from fusion. Timing is the biggest problem, since global warming is threatening to reduce our ability to survive before any of these technologies could make a significant difference (assuming they wouldn't cause more problems than they fix).

Agreement about the cause might reawaken respect for other species in more of us, enabling us to explore how we could still meet our basic needs while empowering other species (who employ Nature's own biotechnology) to improve their own chances of survival by repairing some of the damage we have done. Transitioning to a respectful approach toward those other species would also prepare the survivors of our efforts with the basic values they need to continue surviving.

Respect

As we approach the birthday of the relatively young United States of America, I would like to advocate taking some time to collectively sit down and have a respectful dialog with each other about where we are as a people, how we got here, and where we want to go. I’m talking of course about our basic values, our economic and cultural situation, and both constraints and opportunities relating to our future behavior.

It is counterproductive to try to force, cajole, or deceive others into accepting any particular point of view. Indeed, we seem to have wasted a lot of energy, alienated a lot of potential friends, and generally created an unhealthy and uncomfortable environment for ourselves and others both here and around the world. Polarization has mutated into exponential fragmentation in the discussion of ideas and the activity that makes them real. When we choose not to respect other people, whether or not we accept their ideas, we inadvertently create adversaries, or at least sow enough doubt in their minds to keep them from considering what we have to say.

I hope in my writings that I have conveyed both a point of view (okay, maybe several of them), as well as a willingness to entertain the views of others. That is certainly my intent. Being an “idea explorer” means not being too comfortable with the ideas you currently have. Testing, modifying, and sharing those ideas is critical to developing a set that might have some practical as well as entertainment value. What you have at any one time is simply a snapshot of what experience and judgment has given you to date; it is not the end-all, nor should it be portrayed that way.

Please consider taking a deep breath and listening to those around you. Share what you think, and be willing to change. To do so is an important step toward success both as individuals and as a community.

Respect

In my view, most of the world’s problems would be solvable if more people chose to respect other people, other species, and the way the Universe works.

We are much less likely to hurt those who we respect than those we don’t. Building empires by walking over other countries and their traditions is unthinkable if you respect their citizens and cultures. Destruction of “the environment” is less likely if you respect both the people and other species that inhabit your common home. Succeeding in creating a positive future demands accurate understanding and respect for how natural systems operate and evolve, minimizing unintended consequences of our actions.

Racism, genocide, wars, and catastrophic climate change could be avoided if we all took the time to appreciate the value of our shared heritage and respected each other enough to develop a common vision of the kind of world that ALL of us, including future generations, could live in.