Humans are taking over the world
Published 12:00 am Tuesday, December 9, 2008
We are all space travelers. In our universe there are an estimated 165 billion galaxies (clusters of billions of stars with planets).
Our galaxy is called the Milky Way. The Milky Way is moving away from the universe expansion at a speed of about 250 miles per second (900,000 miles per hour). At this time tomorrow, we will have traveled over two million miles away from where we are at this moment.
In addition to moving through space, we are also orbiting a star that we call the sun. In a 24 hour period, we will travel nearly 500,000 miles in our journey around this star. The spacecraft on which we are traveling is called Earth. Since 75 percent of the surface is covered with water, our planet should have been called “Water.”
Of all the water present on our craft, only 3 percent is fresh, drinkable water. All life on land depends on this small amount of fresh water.
Our space ship is covered with a thin veneer of gases that we call atmosphere. These gases are vital for our survival. Unfortunately, the atmosphere where conditions are present that support our lives extends only to about four miles above us.
At the end of 2007, there were approximately 6.7 billion people living on our little space craft. It is estimated that by the year 2050, there will be 9 billion people along for the ride. As the old pig farmer said, “That’s a whole lot of hogs to feed at one trough.”
We are reproducing exponentially with a hell-bent-for-leather attitude of, “So?”
We are using up our natural resources at an astounding rate and leaving their exhausted detritus behind that we refer to as pollution. Each new offspring will require its share of space, food, water, energy and leave behind its legacy of pollution.
Anybody who thinks that we will be fine if the population doubles is simply delusional. Unless, of course, if we somehow manage to grow corn, or find oil, for example, and discard waste at the same exponential rate that we are multiplying.
Even today many countries are starving, yet they are multiplying even more, condemning their children to a literal living hell.
Sooner or later common sense must prevail and we will have to stop behaving like rabbits.
Law and order will have to impose control on births, not unlike law and order put controls on, say, commuters.
It is called the transit system. Long gone are the days when people would hop on a horse and go directly to their destination.
Today, we have a system of logical laws and regulations that ensure that we can all travel from one place to another in safety.
By the same token, the days of completely chaotic reproduction must end with some sort of system that makes sense and will prevent further suffering.
Call it Big Brother if you will, but it is what it is.
Ed Field
Natchez resident