Jeff, My comments are as follows:
> Really though, what of anything do humans do that mutually benefits > any other species? Does over-farming, deforestation, environmental > polution and/or change or the like benefit any other species besides > us? Humans should coexist with nature and not harm or destroy it. Supposedly, humans have the advantage of consciousness, thus are capable of intelligent choice. Sometimes, we wonder if this is so since we are bent on killing each other for the sake of a religious tenet. For the most part, humans are still ignorant of seeing the big picture, although there are a few individuals like the rishis in the past who understood the wholeness of life. > My take on this is that whatever we do is a natural process. > Everytime we built the next skyscraper or oil drill, what we are > doing is purely a natural process. It is no different than termites > building a mound...it's just that our achievements are more advanced > and much bigger. But we are of nature, so anything we could possibly > do will always be a natural process. How bold of us to wish we were > above nature...we ARE nature. Very true. As such, we should use our intelligence to promote life on earth. If not, it is possible that humans could blow themselves up in this planet. We could be another example of a species that became extinct, like the dinosaurs from the past. Then, what specie would qualify for having the highest intelligence? The dolphins? Ants? Is it possible for them to develop consciousness like humans on earth millions of years from now? It seems to me that the uniqueness of being human is that we are able to make a choice through introspection, or consciousness and intelligence. Hence, it appears to me that this is the highest development that any living form can make in Nature. For the most part, the rest of the living forms on earth operate on an automatic mode, through the mechanics of the gunas. > And from what I see in the universe is that without life, systems are > pretty much random and chaotic. It takes like to create order. And > as far as lifeforms on one planet being able to impact those on > another, I doubt it...unless they advance to intelligent beings and > travel to the next planet in order to disrupt the balance there. For most people, it seems cool to think and say what the latest scientific guru is saying about the nature of the universe. Hence, we hear terms like "chaos theory" and the "absurd" being applied to explain the origin of life. However, the vedic rishis have thought that the entire universe is a form of consciousness in one way or another. Our neighboring galaxy is a form of consciousness, so are the stars and planets that exist in the universe. They are not life forms like humans. But they do have structure and order. If one understands this, then it would not take a leap of faith to say that we in one way or another are connected with the rest of the cosmos. Anyway, we're glad you are taking precautions to make sure that the environment is safe from contaminations. John R.
