Global warming is probably a problem (and possibly a severe* one?) but its not anything remotely near an existential risk.
As far as I can tell, there are basically three human caused scenarios that could maybe lead to human extinction (not counting technical extinction via transhumanism)- UFAI, world war with WMDs (I’m not sure if today’s nuclear arsenals can accomplish this?), or some kind of synthetic super-pathogen. UFAI would kill “Mother Nature” dead too.
That caring about people over “nature” is labelled “self centered” with negative connotations really highlights why I despise environmentalism though. (IDK if that’s the intentions of the artist, this might just be cosmic horror, but I’ve encountered that attitude a lot)
*the scale/scope is a bit wonky when labeling worldwide problems by severity
[”But the real version. Where the ant let the grasshopper die.”]
THESEUS ARMED FOR WAR AGAINST THE GODDESS OF CANCER AND THE GODDESS OF EVERYTHING ELSE.
If you meet Gaia, mock the “selfishness” of her apparent desire that so many ecosystems and species thrive. It is an appropriate response to the assertion that a desire for 7 billion happy and prosperous humans is selfish.
To be fair, the Gaia in this comic didn’t explicitly voice pro-biodiversity viewpoints, as she seems equally apathetic about the species we cause the extinction of with her ”eh, life goes on” attitude. That is, she is a much better representation of Mother Nature’s impersonal indifference to our individual living and suffering, especially being better than most depictions of her as a “kind and caring” deity. The only thing missing is that her garment should perhaps be red, for she is Nature, red in tooth and claw.
Truly, our signs of reverence to such a deity should be growing sharper claws and tougher skin to face the coming days.
I would take a thousand Frankensteins, Herbert Wests, and Moreaus over Mother Nature.
Diversity is useful and beautiful. BUT, Mother Nature doesn’t care about keeping any of us around, or the richness of life that’s already here. You like those fancy black-and-white bears? Nature doesn’t. They’ll go extinct without us someday. You like those jungles? Tomorrow, they will be gone whether we stop cutting down the trees or not, because Nature is a dumb Black Goat with a Thousand Young. Death, sickness, and pain producing endless struggle, that’s the secret behind everything we judge to be beautiful that Nature contains. Kinda makes Ol’ Shubby not something to pray to, but something to tame and care for. We can be the benevolent gardeners and nature-loving hermits our ancestors imagined their nature deities to be. Certainly, we have enough power today to begin taking some responsibility.
PS: We COULD kill off all of Nature, if we put our minds to it, by the way. That’s the funny thing.The damage we do today, to various species? It’s just us not paying attention to how we use our power. We create horrific destruction by accident. We can do worse on purpose. I’d like to think that means we can do better, as well, if we concentrate.
Reblogging again because this keeps getting better and better.
