HARM@SLACVM.slac.stanford.edu (01/11/91)
consider: less
With no men on Earth, there would be no danger of extermination
of all life and resources on Earth.
We have worked for thousands of years to develope the skill to
cause complete destruction.
All acts of the "civilized" man result in destruction of some
tangible resource.
Even the perpetuation of inflationary population growth is keeping
with the rushing to the end of all life.
Now the extermination of Earth life could come about as the result of
a comet or natural disaster of some sort but maybe the purpose of
the life of men is to be that natural disaster. In this particular
case the return to non-living universe is the unknowing goal of
mankind.
If each man were as a drop of water with nature coming into being and
returning to the sea, refusing to explode with destructive
invention and unnecessary activity.
Doubting this recall the law of Entropy. Every action causes the universe
to move toward a peaceful energy level of smooth dispersion.
I am depressing myself. Please prove me wrong.
Being one with nature can be a sad thing.
Being at odds with nature can bring wealth and power, like oil companies and
insurance companies. perhaps not at odds but manipulative and
abusive of nature, or is that itself natural for us to do and
possibly our subtle mission.
This is obviously not the opinion or policy of any company or organization
of which I am aware.kde@heawk1.gsfc.nasa.gov ( Keith Evans) (01/19/91)
In <1991Jan11.013338.14038@nas.nasa.gov> HARM@SLACVM.slac.stanford.edu writes: > We have worked for thousands of years to develope the skill to > cause complete destruction. > All acts of the "civilized" man result in destruction of some > tangible resource. Maybe because man does not use his wisdom to the fullest. >Being at odds with nature can bring wealth and power, like oil companies and > insurance companies. perhaps not at odds but manipulative and > abusive of nature, or is that itself natural for us to do and > possibly our subtle mission. I think that this kind of thinking comes from the Judeo-Christian religions, saying that humans can use the Earth for their own purposes. Whereas Buddhism talks about the Middle Way, which in this case can be seen as advancing technology and preserving the environment, simultaneously. One in the state of Buddhahood has infinite wisdom and can figure out how to do such things. (As the last line in the film "The Color of Money". Paul Newman says, "I'm back!" -- Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Respectfully, Keith Evans kde@heawk1.gsfc.nasa.gov
moskowit@paul.rutgers.edu (Len Moskowitz) (01/31/91)
Keith Evans writes: > I think that this kind of thinking comes from the Judeo-Christian > religions, saying that humans can use the Earth for their own > purposes. The term "Judeo-Christian" lumps together two very different religions and viewpoints. It is rarely appropriate. I don't know where you got your information, but the Jewish way demands protection of the Earth, a stewardship complete with sabbaticals for the fields, years of non-use for young fruit trees, sensitivity to the sufferings of all living things, and an absolute prohibition on thoughtless waste. Len Moskowitz