Things Humans Will Sadly Shake Their Heads At Within 500 Years

Ridgeline Panorama. Near Dillon, Colorado, 2013

If they (we) are still around, that is.

My List:

–That we actually debated the issue of global warming and ocean acidification for so long.

–That we built our societies around the internal combustion engine and petroleum.

–That we became, for the most part, a patriarchal world (with its associated values) rather than a matriarchal world.

–That we emphasized business and technology over philosophy, the arts, music, and introspection.

–That we based our society and economies on the idea of constant growth–economic, population.

–That we used the words “consumer” and “consumption” in a positive way in normal everyday language.

–That we actually measured our economic growth (or shrinkage) from day-to-day, monthly and quarterly–and not long term, that is, in terms of generations.

–That we tried to centralize and industrialize everything–banks, large corporations, food production, energy production.

–Medically, that we could treat the body without treating the spirit.

–That humans could survive separate from the local and world-wide ecosystem.

–That humans have little in common with the plants and animals of the planet.

I’m sure I’ll come up with a few more if you give me a few minutes.