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Brian McBride
Professor Maffitt
Honors English 101
1 October 2014
Taking a Stand
The evolution of the world has accelerated exponentially over the past 2014 years. From
the Romans to modern society, our world has changed aesthetically, socially, economically, and
even physically as a result of human activity. Towering skyscrapers have replaced trees and
other canopy. Cities and highways have replaced the vast, rolling hills and landscape.
Governments and businesses have replaced native civilizations and cultures. These changes have
undoubtedly brought both positive and negative effects along with them. However, the damaging
effects of human evolution to Nature far outweigh the benefits of human collectivism. Nature has
been the unifying force between humankind and enlightenment since the beginning of time and it
is a medium we must traverse in order to reach self-enlightenment. At our current rate of growth,
Nature will be completely destroyed in the foreseen future.
I was walking back home from the grocery store on a sunny day in June. As I was
walking through an adjacent senior home complex, I saw a family of deer devouring fresh daisies
and grass in the courtyard area of the senior homes. After I recovered my bearings, I swiftly
turned around and found an alternative route home. It was not until I got home that I realized the
significance of my observations. Deer and other animals have adapted to their ever changing
surroundings just as humans have. Used to roaming the vast grasslands, they have now become
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used to scavenging in our backyards. The animals that could not make the transition from Nature
to human backyards are now endangered or extinct. The trees and plants that were not deemed
worthy of human use have passed along with other extinct organisms. To become enlightened,
one must learn to appreciate his surroundings and other life forms. The extinction of organisms
in exchange for human growth is not only detrimental but completely antagonistic to the goal of
self-enlightenment.
Most of the world feared the imminent destruction of our world during October 1962.
One press of a button from either the Russians or Americans would have prematurely forced an
apocalypse. The advancement of technology has undoubtedly benefitted mankind whether it is
through medical use or sciences. However, it has also given us the power to end life as we know
it. One unstable leader can lead us towards our demise and can also take all of Nature with it
except for cockroaches. Can we trust ourselves not to annihilate the world as we know it? While
the leaders in the Cuban Missile Crisis avoided the destruction of the world, history suggests we
cannot trust ourselves to refrain from war. Thousands of skirmishes have taken place since 1962
and are currently ongoing today. ISIS has signaled their statement of intent with multiple acts of
terrorism and North Korea has long been a threat to the North American Continent. Although
nuclear war has been avoided, how long before conflict forces a nations hand? Self-
Enlightenment would be hard to reach if Civilization and Nature alike were both totally
destroyed.
The negative effects of human evolution are numerous and very visible in todays
society. The extinction of organisms, the melting of the North and South Poles, The reduction of
rainforests across the globe, and other occurrences are the direct effects of human growth and
ignorance. The ever growing technology and threats of terrorists groups and nuclear weapons
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clearly show a cause for concern of the anthropocentric view of society. Reaching self-
enlightenment is becoming more insignificant by the decades and is being replaced by artificial
items and technology. We must reject the anthropocentric view of the world to stop the
destruction of it and in order to do that, we must search for self-enlightenment. Nature is the key
to unlocking our true selves and reaching the self-enlightenment that can save us from
completely destroying the world and other organisms as we know it.