The Deadly Lie of Human Exceptionalism

We are entering an apocalyptic age of global mass destruction. It is one that will not be survivable for the majority of the human race. There will be even fewer non-human species with the ability to withstand the human-caused plague, which is laying waste to planet Earth. There is a single root cause for all of the monumental suffering that is primed for release -- our arrogance. Psychopathic, devastatingly evil, hubris.

This overtly superior attitude of ours, has been continuously taught, fed and driven by a majority of the world's religions telling us we are the Creator's chosen ones; and whoever or whatever we target to dominate and destroy is our right. Reality, however, completely refutes our being the most important species. In truth, we are the ONLY species that is entirely expendable. The Earth, should humanity be wiped out tomorrow, would begin to heal and thrive. Ecologically, we contribute absolutely nothing to our planet's system of renewal. Our only saving grace is that we fertilize the soil when we die, but even that process has been corrupted by modern day toxic embalming chemicals.

There are those who defend our exceptionalism even when it can be proved that other species' intelligence and skills match or surpass our own. Non-humans use tools; they can problem-solve; they are loyal, empathetic and compassionate; they have complex personalities; many have life-long familial connections; they also have advanced language and communication skills that humans are too primitive to begin to understand or decipher. Yet, we have never looked at them as anything other than commodities to be exploited. We know little about the relationships and emotions of non-humans. However, we HAVE perfected the art of mass murdering them on a global scale.

In an evolutionary sense, humans are the most primitive beings on the planet, because we understand almost nothing about the flora and fauna which surround us and are responsible for keeping us alive. There is only one thing that man does exceptionally well -- destroy. This is where our rightful claim to human exceptionalism truly begins and ends. No other species can lay claim to such atrocity.

We have no idea how many species we are responsible for annihilating to extinction; many before they have even been discovered. Everything is viewed in terms of how it can be used, extracted and discarded. There will always be more we tell ourselves. We are a cancerous organism eating its way through all it comes in contact with; cancer has no mind, just an immediate need to expand at any cost.

I'm weary of hearing scientists and environmentalists telling the public to 'get on the bandwagon' -- if we don't do this or that, immediately, then we will be beyond the tipping point with no way out on a dying planet. These individuals are delusional. They refuse to see all of the catastrophic signs of an emerging perfect storm. The tipping point has come and gone and there WILL be hell to pay.

We might have had a chance for redemption if the Earth's mothers had taught their children respect for all life forms. If they had quashed the human exceptionalism out of their spirits and the bloodlust from their hearts. Non-violence taught from birth, on a global scale, is the solution. But it will never come from the 8+ billion monsters calling themselves 'exceptional.'