Second Nature...Ha!

 

There is NO second nature.

This has become the motto for some self-proclaimed environmentalists in their fight against climate change. Though I laud their efforts in raising awareness for this troubling trend, their slogan makes me smile with how fallacious their battle cry truly is. And NO, this is not a self-righteous argument about climate change, this is a lesson on nature. I guess it's just the teacher in me that comes out when the natural world is misunderstood.

The very definition of "nature" is the products of the earth, as opposed to humans or human creations. Simply put, its ALL things the earth provides.

It's laughable to believe we, meaning man, can destroy nature as a whole. Truth be told, we give ourselves way too much credit. Though we arguably may be the most sentient creatures currently on earth, we oftentimes are the most ignorant, for we erroneously believe we are the most powerful force on earth as well. We are not. Mother Nature is far more powerful than anything we can ever create. And she is everlasting to boot.

Put it this way, it is widely believed the mother-of-all asteroids created the 9-mile Chicxulub crater in the Yucatán peninsula. That single life-altering event was calculated to be more powerful than 10 billion atomic bombs (not thousands, not millions, BILLIONS). If that asteroid, coupled with other known cataclysmic collisions from unearthly bodies couldn't wipe-out nature, I doubt man ever will.Though try as we might, our actions are but a single flea bite on the heel of a full-grown pachyderm.

So now that we're clear on our inability to destroy nature, let's get real. Nature is made up of countless parts. Humans are but a single inconsequential part of that whole.

Why inconsequential?

Because Mother Nature heals and grows anew regardless of how grotesque a wound she bears. And given her eternal character, she does it in a blink of her eye. Man will be but a grown and shed eyelash in the breadth of her life, and odds are she won't even notice it's flitted away.

So are there no consequences?

Au contraire.

Though we cannot destroy nature as whole, we are quite good at destroying individual parts. And as soon as we realize "man" is the part getting wiped-out with progressing climate change, maybe thoughts on how fast this will occur will change. So in the very least, the environmental motto should change since there truly will be no second man.

Hmmm…now that I think about it, the claim of "There is NO second nature," is theoretically correct. As long as this big ol' rock we call earth is revolving around the sun, there will never be an end to the first. But somehow, I don't think that's the message they want to convey. 

 

Aside 1:
Climate change is happening. There is no arguing that. The debate rages over what causes it and most importantly, our adaptation to it. Whether man's adaptation is willful or calamitous is the path we must choose. Either way, hardships are coming, it'll be interesting to see if we prolong our demise or simply go out with a bang. I honestly don't know what we'll choose.

Aside 2:
I consider myself an environmentalist...but not one of those CRAZY kinds!  :)