Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained

An old adage to be sure, but it certainly applies at every direction and turn. Genuine achievement starts with an idea that fits a need. Very often, it begins with one person, or a handful of committed individuals.

When I look at history, I see a pattern that roughly equates to two steps forward, one step back. Humans have been around for not quite half a million years.  For about 95% of that time, we were primitive hunter-gatherers living off of what nature provided.  During all of that period, the numbers of humans never got to more than a few million individuals.  About 10,000 years ago, we embraced agriculture and began to dwell in permanent communities. A whole range of new human dynamics emerged. Recorded history began as we learned to read and write.  About two hundred years ago, a hare's breath in the chronology of human existence, the 'Industrial Era' began in Europe.  The pace of change accelerated.  Ingenuity and invention flourished.  Human knowledge expanded exponentially.  Every step of the way,  there have been setbacks.   War, disease, famine, every kind of misfortune have marked the annals of history.  Despite our travails,  we have progressed in dramatic fashion from our roots as primitive cave dwellers. We have taken two steps forward for every step back.

Humans now dominate the Earth and its biosphere.  Our numbers exceed seven billion, and we are still adding 75 million more humans to the population every year, each requiring a share of the planet's finite bounty for survival. Because of this, we are exploiting the planet's air, water, land, and biological resources relentlessly.   We are abusing the earth's natural fabric to a degree that is not sustainable; not even close.

So, where does that leave us?  At the moment, on a  civilization scale, the evidence suggests we are regressing.  The challenges we face are formidable and unprecedented.  We must learn to live within the planet's ability to provide. We must reconnect and become worthy stewards of the natural world we all depend on for survival. Some say it's already too late. Some say humanity is in a tailspin from which we cannot possibility emerge. I don't believe that.

 If we are to overcome the negative inertia that is dragging us down, we must embrace a common resolve to live within our means.  We must pull together to build a world that is worthy of our species;  a world in which all life is afforded respect and dignity.  In that world, men and women coexist as equals in all ways.  In that world, we embrace our cultural and ethnic differences, and accept our place as nurturers of the biosphere.   The impediments to this admittedly idealistic vision are mostly political.  On the ground level, where the rubber meets the road, we are held back from the 'common good' by a seriously corrupted political system.  We fail to deal with global scale challenges like climate change, deforestation,  overexploitation of  our oceans, loss of precious top soil, and rapidly diminishing supplies of fresh water because so many of the people we elevate as leaders are sociopaths with selfish, narrow  motives, who are largely unresponsive to the need for change. 

So, 'Nothing ventured, nothing gained'. How does this adage apply?   Those of us who recognize the regressive road we are on,  if we haven't already done so, must step up.  First by recognizing the unprecedented, civilization scale challenges we face,  then by casting aside apathy and indifference and becoming part of the solution. A very good start in the right direction comes with spending some time thinking about and appreciating the natural forces at work in our lives.  This is how we find inspiration.  This is where we will find solutions. This is the road we must travel to make things right and assure a worthy future for generations to come. 

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Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.     Margaret Mead