Domestication, it seems, has been our human undoing. All other species come into this life knowing exactly what they are to do, or they are taught by a parent, usually the mother. They know what they are supposed to eat and how and where to find their food. They know when to eat, when to sleep, and in the case of migratory species, when to move. They are either a predator or they are preyed on by a larger one. Except for the few carnivorous plant species, most plants are prey; although only parts of them are sacrificed. Generally, they go on living as long as their roots are not disturbed. When these life forms are not hunting for food, they are sleeping, or simply resting in a state of being. The art of simply being is an ability that most humans, and some of their pets, have lost.
Around 10,000 years ago, humans began to gather into communities, giving up their nomadic lifestyle. They began farming and domesticating goats and chickens. Thus began the degradation of the land. Groups of humans began to claim territories as their own, creating countries and fighting one another. In this way, we are not so different. Many large predators stake out territory for themselves and fighting among males to establish dominance is common in many species. The biggest difference is our human unwillingness to allow the old and the weak to be sacrificed for the good of the whole. This is necessary so that one species does not overpopulate and so that the numbers of each are kept in balance.
It is interesting to note, now that our human population has unproportionately multiplied, to the detriment of millions of other species, that our nomadic tendencies are still active in some humans. Few people travel by foot these days; but more and more are traveling in their 5th wheels. There is also an increasing number of “homeless” people. A few have tried to return to a life on land, having revived the art of foraging. It isn’t likely that humans will ever willingly give up their cushy, domestic lives. One thing is certain and that is the uncertainty of the future of human existence. Clearly, this planet was far better off without human beings. While so many concern themselves with the existence of aliens, I cannot help wondering if perhaps it is we humans, who are the aliens.
