10 AUGUST 2023 HUMAN MISCONCEPTIONS

In our world of technological advancement, we have been led off track from our place in the natural world. We have convinced most of the human population that intelligence is paramount to making the most of our lives. The development of “artificial” intelligence (in other words, human imitation of intelligence) has taken society by storm. In a very short span of time it has become “normal” for every person to carry a “smart” phone on his or her person. My grandchildren spend nearly every waking moment hunched over their smartphones, completely unaware of the world around them.

IQ tests are still commonly employed in assessing an individual’s abilities. We even “judge” the intelligence of other species compared to our own. We have replaced the importance of intuition and wisdom with the false leadership of intelligence. Where has our intelligence gotten us, but into one dire problem after another? Nearly every human advancement has brought with it a problem of equal or sometimes greater proportion. One example is the coal taken out of the earth. Not only does this rape the planet, leaving it scarred and unsightly; it also displaces hundreds of species by destroying their habitat. The workers who work in the coal mines become sick with black lung disease from breathing the coal and silica dust.

Our power lines have become the source of death for many large migrating birds that are instantly electrocuted when, because they cannot see the lines, fly into them. They are also killed when they collide with wind turbines. Many waterfowl die agonizing deaths from ingesting lead that is found on the bottom of lakes and ponds, from human hunting and fishing. Millions of fish and birds are caught in the nets of fishermen. The oil that is all too often inadvertently spilled into the ocean, spells death to fish and seabirds alike. The forests that we have clearcut have left thousands of species homeless. The automobiles that we all drive leave still more animals crushed to death on our highways, pollute our air, and often result in human deaths as well. Plants that we have imported to solve an erosion problem (also caused by us) become invasive and create still more problems. The numerous dog and cat breeds that we have “produced” has resulted in their reliance on us to feed them (via factory farming and unsustainable agriculture) and we are now overrun with homeless pets because, just like us, they breed prolifically.

I could go on all day with examples of our human “intelligence” and the many problems it has created. Until we learn to align our intelligence with wisdom, with love, and with empathy, we will continue to exacerbate and to multiply the challenges that not only the planet, but we ourselves, must face. We must be willing to admit the mistakes that we have made and to understand that intelligence can lead to misconceptions when it is applied without humility.