Thank God the good old times are gone

Many environmentalists seem to long back to the times long gone, when nature ruled and humans lived in awe of everything. They argue that nature has an intrinsic value and that all created things are equal and should be equally respected.

But the truth is that over 99 percent of all species that have ever existed on Earth have perished because of nonhuman factors. Nature doesn’t care about biodiversity. It us, humans, who value biodiversity because it reflects the state of the world we currently live in. Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder. Without us, the beauty of nature would not exist.

Our environment includes all of our surroundings. We arrange these surroundings to improve the environment and thus make it more useful to ourselves. Our resources expand over time as a result of our increasing knowledge.

Human life has never been easy. In the Middle Ages, we lived in constant fear. Starved, filthy and wearing the same clothes day in and day out, we dwelled in dirt plagued by insects. Using cow dung as cooking fuel could hardly be considered healthy.

The modern 18th century man lived in cold, overcrowded houses and threw garbage out on the street to rotten. Rats were spreading diseases. The plague and cholera were killing thousands. At the end of the 18th century, as agriculture became more efficient, feeding the family got easier. But the diet was still meager and unhealthy. Due to lack of good storage facilities, food often turned sour or rotten.

The 19th century was a dream in comparison. But still, food options were limited and fruits only available in summer time. Food poisoning was common. Children died or became invalids following illnesses now preventable by vaccination. We didn’t know what was going on in the world. In order to listen to some music, we had to go to a concert – if we could afford it.

In the rich modern world, we have eradicated extreme poverty and hunger. Everyone has access to a rich and varied diet thanks to mechanized agriculture, fertilizers, pesticides, genetic engineering, better storage facilities and advanced logistics.

We have plumbing and garbage trucks. Home appliances help save valuable time and allow us more leisure. Material richness does not necessarily create happiness, but if we are to be happy at all, we need a longer and healthier life with plenty of choices. We don’t serve nature, nature serves us.