We are all going the way of the buffalo
Just two hundred years ago, vast herds of American Buffalo roamed the Great Plains of the United States of America. These herds could number millions of these magnificent animals. By the 1880′s, there were only a few thousand buffalo left. Massive hunting throughout the 19th century had almost entirely wiped out this once seemingly innumerable population.
Sadly, the world seems to be ‘going the way of the buffalo’.
Environment
We have all heard about the environment taking a turn for the worse over the last few decades, with global warming, depletion of natural resources, deforestation, species going extinct and people living in ever more hazardous environments.
Human Rights
On a human level, we seem to be hell-bent on stripping away much of our humanity. Forced labour & modern slavery, the poor getting poorer while the rich get richer, wars that – unlike two hundred years ago – primarily seem to affect non-combatants in stead of the soldiers fighting them. Rampant corruption, increases in suicides, drug use, teenage pregnancies, the list continues and feels endless.
Race to the Bottom
Many of the reasons why we are destroying this planet and the people that live on it have to do with an unbridled quest for profit. For example; a quest for profit is the force that drives large multinational companies to put ever increasing pressure on their suppliers to supply more produce for less money. This in turn drives these suppliers to squeeze out their suppliers and/or employees, and it also drives them to be less than careful with the environment in which they do business.
The root of all evil
But it is my belief that at the root of these issues & at the root of virtually all other problems an even deeper problem lies; we are cut off from our Creator. We are no longer capable of sustainable relationships with each other, with our planet and with the Person that gives us meaning in our life. So we look for other ways to fill these gaps. We look for means to validate our existence, money, power, succes & love from others. We find our affirmation in the value society places upon our lives.
This, I believe, is Man’s greatest mistake. Because we are looking in the wrong place for the wrong answer. We’ve got our priorities all wrong. We should first be looking for Who we love & why He loves us. From there, all other problems can be solved. In ways that are sustainable, honest & achieveable.
This blog is an attempt to explain that idea, to tackle all aspects of life from a worldview that is optimistic, while acknowledging the critical state of our planet and its inhabitants.
0 Responses to “The Way Of The Buffalo”