If our species does destroy itself it will be a death in the cradle—a case of infant mortality.—Jonathan Schell—
Compared to rocks or to termites or ginkgo trees, our whole species is a very recent passenger on this Spaceship Earth. We’ve had a busy time of it, for the few thousand years that there have been enough of us to make a difference. But in time as geologists measure it we have barely entered the history of the planet. If we eradicated ourselves with the lethal means at our disposal, we wouldn’t be the first species to disappear. But wouldn’t it be a shame? We humans have the capacity for transcendence as well as destruction. Surely we’re adaptable
enough to guide our own development away from our current preoccupation with deadly toys. Written history gives us just a tiny glimpse of life on earth. Let’s live so as to guarantee that human existence lasts out its full chapter. I am one of the earth’s children. I will treat my parent with respect.