Earth Doesn't Need Us

   A confluence of factors come together that allow us to believe that it does. But it doesn't. 
   Our so very limited perspective of time helps to maintain this monumental illusion. Our egoistic belief that because we are currently the pinnacle of intelligent life on this planet, that we will always be, lets us believe that we are an indispensable part of this planet. I'm not so sure that we are.
   If intelligent life is the goal of the universe, we are incredibly naive to believe that we are the end of the evolutionary road. 
   Why would we be where it ends? Especially when you consider how flawed we are as a species. How far short of the mark we fall when it comes to the most basic of qualities that must be present in intelligent life, if it is wise to survive. We can't seem to manage foresight, we don't have control of our lesser desires, we seem not to be able, or willing to alter our behavior once we've realized that it is detrimental to our existence on this planet. That's to say nothing of the higher realms of intelligent life like compassion, non duality, the understanding of purpose, and love that as a whole, we seem to ignore.
   That's not to say that there aren't those individuals within our species who are capable of these higher ideals, but as time passes they are proving to be the exception and not the rule.
   I was learning about the history and the incredible intricacy of the ever changing systems of this planet and I became suddenly aware of how unfounded our assumption: 'that we will always be here', is. The amount of our hubris is astonishing. This planet, this universe, could blink us out of existence without thinking twice, in the same way were unaware when some bacteria in our digestive tract dies.
   This isn't meant to be a depressing or fearful realization. It should be used to savor the moments that we do have here, and to find the miracle in our existence while we still can. And to at least try to understand that none of this is a given, none of it is guaranteed, not our place at work, at home, in this country, or in this universe. So we can live life like the blessing it is and take responsibility for the whole that we are just a small part of.
   (You should watch the National Geographic show, "One Strange Rock" narrated by Will Smith. It is a shock to our limited perspective of non-connectedness and a beautifully told story of our planet.)