Pollution Essay: Responsibility of a Biological Superpower

Responsibility of a Biological Superpower Humanity has always been on a philosophical quest of self-exploration; we seek to define our place in the universe distinct from and yet intricately tied with the nature which bore us. Our relationship with nature, whether we are a gifted child, a final product, or an unrelated superpower, will guide our actions towards nature in all our environmental and psychological pursuits. With unprecedented free reign over other forms of life, the consequences of our actions are vitally significant to more than our own existence. As the only true biological superpower on mother earth, we must decide how to define our roles and how we will exercise our powers -- all life awaits the end of our deliberation. This is most certainly not to say we are beyond the reach of nature. Anyone observing the full force of mindless nature could attest to its fury. A fisherman caught in a storm or mountaineer spotting lightning and counting the seconds would take little comfort in our superiority. Similarly, we are not beyond the grasps of the food chain; many hunters abound from simple, witless swarms of leeches to great stalkers in the jungle. Humans, despite all our clever isolation, are certainly made of flesh that any carnivore is capable of appreciating. Despite these obvious limitations in our achievements -- society can hardly eradicate leeches, yet -- we have experienced a massive growth in influence. Native Americans were excellent hunters, but were no more unbalancing than nature's own pack hunters -- often they even used similar tactics. The land adapts, and thus an equilibrium was reached until Europeans showed up with drastic leaps in technology. Where before humans were arguably a natural... ...forethought can save resources and our sense of morality. Though nature does not lead debates on how best to juggle energy and morality, we can and, if we are to decide nature's fate, we should. We are nature's child, a final product of evolution, and we have now separated ourselves from the natural world; nature is in the hands of a rebellious superpower of its own making. Works Cited Crystal, Charlotte. "Biomedical Engineering Student Invents Mechanical Leech". U. Va News Services 23 Oct. 2002. 14 Dec. 2000 Pollan, Michael. "The Idea of a Garden." Reading the Environment. Ed. Melissa Walker New York: Norton, 1994, 191-201. Silko, Leslie Marmon. "Landscape, History, and the Pueblo Imagination." Halpern, Daniel and Dan Frank, eds. The Nature Reader. Hopewell, NJ: Ecco, 1996.