Is Our Fear of Death Destroying the Planet?

I found this blog entry this morning on sustainableman.org, while surfing around after sending a message to my Senator regarding the SAFE act now being considered in congress - the banning of horse slaughter in the US. (Jerry Moran - R Kansas). (That's another topic, but thought I'd push it here as well).

It's no secret that I'm an animal lover, and horses are very near and dear to my heart. ALL of life is interdependent - we are ALL CONNECTED and an integral part of the living Earth.

This blog entry touched me at a deep level, and I wondered whether to put it in psychology, but decided this might be a better choice. Probably preaching to the choir, but hopefully it will be noticed by others as well.

I am profoundly disturbed by the raping of the planet that is so rampant. It is hard for me to verbalize how sickened I am by exploitation and cruelty to living things all in the name of MONEY.

That said, I present excerpts from the page (linked above)

Is Our Fear of Death Destroying the Planet?

There is a reason that despite the overwhelming evidence that our exponential, growth-based economic system is destroying the very foundations of life on the planet that change has still been hard to come by. The reason is not because of human greed. Greed, too, is a symptom. It’s not because of a competitive human nature. Humans are actually soft-wired for empathy. It’s not even due to some global conspiracy to rule the world. People just aren’t that capable. The reason we cannot “wake up” to the unsustainable nature of our way of life may be traced to our awareness of our finite life and the linear concept of time that it creates.
...

Economic growth has always been destructive for the planet. Every empire that has ever existed can point to over-exploitation of resources as the root cause of their demise. The difference between empires of the past and those of today is that we are now exhausting the entire planet at once. Empires of the past could rise and fall and their impact would be limited to a small geographic region. This is no longer true. Today, we live in an exponential economic growth paradigm which sees no limits.

Our quest to secure access to future resources is causing the deterioration of those same resources. As we drill for more oil, mine for more metals, pollute more water, and convert more forests to ranches, we are eating through our natural capital – the very foundations of the earth’s capacity to support life. We are eroding the capability of the earth to meet our collective expectations. Our salvation will come when we collectively understand that financial security, no matter how much one has, will never prevent our death. A little more money might insure us a little better, but no amount can insure us completely. Our death is inevitable.

Once our delusions of immortality have been cast aside, we can see the truth about money – that it is simply a claim to future resources. We expect that we will be able to trade the money we have saved and invested for goods and services in the future. When we invest money, we are placing value on future, on things that do not even exist yet. It is the ultimate expression of viewing time linearly. But how much is money worth if there is no clean air to breathe or clean water to drink? If there are no more bees to pollenate the crops, if ocean acidification collapses the ocean food chain, if hydraulic fracturing pollutes our water supply, then what good is money?

...

What might an economy look like that instead of focusing on securing the future needs for some, it cared about meeting the current needs for all? What would happen if money was designed after nature in a way that it decayed over time? Perhaps instead of chasing the illusive reward of ever more money, we might focus on what is truly most important – things like clean water and nutritious food for our bodies, a healthy environment void of pollution and toxic chemicals, and sustainable ways of living on the planet. An abundant world is possible but only if we take yet another cue from nature by focusing on meeting the present needs of every human, animal, and plant on the planet. We must value life in all of its forms and create modes of living based on the principles of interconnectivity, empathy, and the love of life, allowing it to flourish in all of its diversity and beauty. If we begin to view each moment of our lives as the gift it truly is, we can finally shed this very real fear that holds us back from living our lives in a way that allows us to be present each and every moment.

(I hope that's not excessive c/p for an OP, but didn't want to "paraphrase" the author's very good points.)

The points are, in summary, that money is a FICTION; and we as a species are destroying our HOME, on which we depend with every breath we take. There ARE enough resources to go around, and we MUST - if we are to survive as a species, even as a planet! - STOP ABUSING the Earth. We must (in my opinion) stop HOARDING resources as well. War in the name of resources "national interest" are appalling, evil, and wrong on EVERY LEVEL..

I weep for this living orb; we are parasites, selfish and irreverent. "Dominion over the animals and plants" does NOT MEAN RUTHLESS destruction at will. It means STEWARDING.

I am sometimes in despair over what I see going on in this world. I know I am not alone. I hope this thread gets some traffic and attention, if only to spread the words, because THEY ARE TRUE. The TRUTH is that we MUST steward this planet - beyond any notion of "Divinity" or religion, we must not allow our home - and ourselves, for we are connected to all of it, from sea to shining sea, pole to pole, stratosphere to molten core - and it is not our place nor our right to wreck it!

Thanks for reading.
(Also, check out the SAFE Act for banning the slaughter of horses, please. Humane society has a petition for it, just do a search to get there....)

~wild

I dont think its our fear of death is the problem as that has been part of life since life began. Personally i thinks its just plain greed. If you look at american history most if not all of the powerful people were criminals who crimes gave them enough money to get power and then use thatpower to mould a system that protects them and thats the type of system americans and the world has to deal with today

reply to post by minor007


Thanks for your reply, however, in the first paragraph the author points out that greed is a symptom of this fear of death.
It should only take about 3 minutes to read the post (linked) - and it explains more about the concept. I'll repost that part here, with better "spacing" to get the point across:

The reason is not because of human greed. Greed, too, is a symptom.

It’s not because of a competitive human nature. Humans are actually soft-wired for empathy.

It’s not even due to some global conspiracy to rule the world. People just aren’t that capable.

The reason we cannot “wake up” to the unsustainable nature of our way of life may be traced to our awareness of our finite life and the linear concept of time that it creates.

There's also recklessness, when we are meddling with things we DO NOT understand - the oceans, for example, and the life that lives at all levels of it - even around underwater volcanoes. We really, truly, need those things.

The only things I think we could really do without are:
poison ivy
mosquitoes
ticks

(They, of course, would disagree with me - and claim they are just as important as anything else. Heck, maybe they are - in balancing things.

But if one thinks about it, how are humans any better than poison ivy, mosquitoes and ticks? We are parasites on this planet, when we should be its caretakers - even if it is at our own expense. The world is vastly out of balance, and we ought to be concerned with the parts we CAN control and be certain we are not subtly destroying the very fabric of the Earth with our "symptoms" (as, I guess, the blogger would say) and try to think about ways to cooperate rather than exploit.

Sorry but its a load of hogwash. I have a fear of dying myself and never felt the need to be greedy. In fact I would argue that if people did fear death then they should be respecting all life as they would know how precious life is .....

reply to post by minor007


I didn't say anything indicating that all people who fear death are greedy. It's a way of looking at it, though, that I don't think is hogwash.

So, what do you think is the reason humans are systematically destroying the planet?
Or do you not think 'we' are?
Thanks anyway, for your conversation.

reply to post by wildtimes


as I said just plain greed. All you need to do is look at how the GOP in america behaves . they certainly dont want to pay they fair share of income tax.....

reply to post by minor007


I agree with you. Did you read the blog post? There are bits I didn't include about how rich people were asked if they had "enough". They didn't.
Greed is a terrible thing. But, is it in fact a symptom of the fear of death?
Do you see how it might be?

Money has been created in such a way so as to be completely decoupled from the principles that govern the physical world. Unlike anything in the natural world, money does not decay. It is as eternal as our ego’s desire to exist. Egyptian pharaohs were buried with their treasure so that they could have access to it in the afterlife. Could it be that our design and pursuit of money was based on our longing to identify with something eternal? Perhaps if we could only accumulate enough of it, we could transcend death?

Of course we all know that absurdity of that line of thinking. But people strive for financial security nonetheless and the quest has devastating impacts to the world.

Here's another bit from the blog (guess it's needed here to drive the point home):

Whether you are an investment banker, a daily stock trader or a blue-collar worker with a pension, everyone expects a return on their investment no matter if it is in the stock market, treasury bonds, or real estate. We expect our money to “grow.” And it is this expectation that fuels the desire for exponential growth of the economy. It is this expectation that creates the pressure for corporations to deliver a profit to their investors or shareholders. The expectation is always more.

Economic growth has always been destructive for the planet. Every empire that has ever existed can point to over-exploitation of resources as the root cause of their demise. The difference between empires of the past and those of today is that we are now exhausting the entire planet at once. Empires of the past could rise and fall and their impact would be limited to a small geographic region. This is no longer true. Today, we live in an exponential economic growth paradigm which sees no limits.

t’s not because of a competitive human nature. Humans are actually soft-wired for empathy.

How do you know what human nature is composed of? What about the Yin and Yang? Good and Evil to balance the scales of the Earth. Granted that the ideal way of things would be exactly as you put it, with a world full of selfless, earth loving and respectful beings but unfortunately we as a species are not even close to reaching this. It's a step in the right direction to have people as passionate as you are in this cause, as I too try to send a similar message however the corruption in the world is far beyond a few people sending some letters and writing threads on ATS

It's a sad world we live in and all we can really do is do our best as individuals and influence whom ever we can but until some sort of global catastrophe happens where people are not able to hide behind their materialism and finances, things will presume as is. Corruption, greed, evil, and eventually they will have given up on raping this planet of resources and move onto the next one this parasitic species can destroy

reply to post by wildtimes


I just cant see how fear of death can lead to greed. Pharoahs for instance didnt see gold as valuable in the same sense we find it valuable. Egyptians believed that gold was a divine and indestructible metal associated with the sun. The Pharaoh was called "the Golden Horus ", and the skin of gods was believed to be golden. Egyptian domestic trade was done by barter, gold had no economic importance. The Egyptian government did not maintain or needed any gold treasury, civil servants were paid in food and gifts.

reply to post by RooskiZombi

How do you know what human nature is composed of?

All I "know" what it's composed of is what I've seen and experienced, and studied and paid attention to, and been professionally involved in the understanding of such (human nature) for years and years. Have you heard of "Evolutionary Psychology"? I can recommend several very good reads if you are interested in knowing more about human nature. Both contemporary and classical.

I'm appreciative that you get the main point, though. Thanks for contributing.
Truth be told, I care more about the planet and other species than I do for humankind. We've botched things up big-time.

reply to post by minor007

I just cant see how fear of death can lead to greed.

It's a subtle thing.

The preoccupation with the future is mostly due to a fear of death (even though it may be a secondary or tertiary reason). For example, people buy all kinds of insurance such as life, health, car, accident, fire, hurricane – some people even bought rapture insurance – as ways to protect them from unforeseen events (that could harm or kill). How many times have you decided not to swim in the ocean for fear of a shark attack or not to travel to a foreign country because of stories of safety issues?

This is the premise of the OP.

A recent poll* queried a group of individuals with an average net worth of $25 million to ask if they felt they had achieved financial security. A majority of them said that they had not and that they would only achieve it if they could, on average, increase their wealth by 20 percent. Even those with modest means feel that financial security is only one bonus away.

Why does financial security remain so elusive regardless of the size of one’s bank account? Most people would probably define financial security in terms of having enough money to secure their livelihoods indefinitely given a wide array of potential hazards that one could face. The problem is that this list of hazards is nearly infinite. Once you’ve amassed enough money to insulate from some hazards, other potential hazards arise that require even more financial security. And so we attempt to earn even more money. The cycle is like an infinite loop in programming language – you don’t even know you’re in it. So what gives?

*here's the "recent poll" cited:
Secret Fears of the Super-Rich

Does great wealth bring fulfillment? An ambitious study by Boston College suggests not. For the first time, researchers prompted the very rich—people with fortunes in excess of $25 million—to speak candidly about their lives. The result is a surprising litany of anxieties: their sense of isolation, their worries about work and love, and most of all, their fears for their children.

Originally posted by wildtimes
reply to post by minor007

 

I just cant see how fear of death can lead to greed.

It's a subtle thing.

The preoccupation with the future is mostly due to a fear of death (even though it may be a secondary or tertiary reason). For example, people buy all kinds of insurance such as life, health, car, accident, fire, hurricane – some people even bought rapture insurance – as ways to protect them from unforeseen events (that could harm or kill). How many times have you decided not to swim in the ocean for fear of a shark attack or not to travel to a foreign country because of stories of safety issues?

This is the premise of the OP.

A recent poll* queried a group of individuals with an average net worth of $25 million to ask if they felt they had achieved financial security. A majority of them said that they had not and that they would only achieve it if they could, on average, increase their wealth by 20 percent. Even those with modest means feel that financial security is only one bonus away.

Why does financial security remain so elusive regardless of the size of one’s bank account? Most people would probably define financial security in terms of having enough money to secure their livelihoods indefinitely given a wide array of potential hazards that one could face. The problem is that this list of hazards is nearly infinite. Once you’ve amassed enough money to insulate from some hazards, other potential hazards arise that require even more financial security. And so we attempt to earn even more money. The cycle is like an infinite loop in programming language – you don’t even know you’re in it. So what gives?

*here's the "recent poll" cited:
Secret Fears of the Super-Rich

Does great wealth bring fulfillment? An ambitious study by Boston College suggests not. For the first time, researchers prompted the very rich—people with fortunes in excess of $25 million—to speak candidly about their lives. The result is a surprising litany of anxieties: their sense of isolation, their worries about work and love, and most of all, their fears for their children.

and not one mention that they were afraid of death...As i said its just plain greed as given to you in the quotes you posted

The result is a surprising litany of anxieties: their sense of isolation, their worries about work and love, and most of all, their fears for their children.

A recent poll* queried a group of individuals with an average net worth of $25 million to ask if they felt they had achieved financial security. A majority of them said that they had not and that they would only achieve it if they could, on average, increase their wealth by 20 percent. Even those with modest means feel that financial security is only one bonus away.

just because one is insecure about their future dosent mean its death they are worried about.

Heres another angle to see it from Rich ppl are diffrent from the rest of us

Okay, then.
I think you're missing the point that the thread is put in the form of a question; in my opinion, the answer given in the OP link is a possibility. Granted, it is a "reach" for some to see it that way. But, I think it's a possibility...

I'm only trying to figure things out myself - again, thanks for participating. I get your point.

reply to post by wildtimes


You have hit the biggest idea of all.
No fear of dying changes everything.

The initiated Ancient Egyptians lived this way.
It literally would transform the Earth.
Fear is solely responsible for stopping this transformation .

And the PTB, whether the Gov. Corporations or the Church,
are fully aware that if Humans figure this out, their power dissappears.

reply to post by sealing

No fear of dying changes everything.

I agree.... I absolutely believe that not fearing death does change everything!!
I've been for years studying reincarnation and NDE/OBE experiences. To a one, the people who have had an NDE realize that they (we) are NOT simply annihilated at death, and their priorities change afterwards.

I've not had one myself, but I've had a life-long love for nature, animals, plants, oceans, etc.

Thanks for participating!

reply to post by wildtimes


Maybe.. We do molly coddle ourselves far too much in my opinion. We are so concerned with being safe and careful not to injure ourselves. That we never let ourselves truly live..

I think Mother Earth will give us as much as she can. Even if that means for us to learn and understand the error of our ways she has to bleed.. She is a mother who would do anything for her children. I see the universe as living being.

The Earth's magnetic pulse which is in the same remit of the human brain frequency.. We are all interconnected..

Change is the constant in life. Thats how I see it anyways..

s/f OP

reply to post by fluff007


Hi, and thanks!
Yes, the universe is a living being. We are as much a part of it as the cells in our bodies are parts of us.
In fact, the other day I heard a story on NPR about how only a small fraction of the cells in our bodies are "human", the rest are microbes and bacteria and so forth.

Seems to me that as a species we need to recognize that correlation, and not only embrace it, but live up to it.
Thanks again.

This is an interesting topic. I don't know how to respond to it. It's complex.

The problem seems to be mainly composed of our ability to harm others, aware or unaware.

Ultimately, I have to blame:
1) Finiteness
2) Ignorance

They're roughly the same thing.

Ignorance means our choices are imperfect. With enough time, given a finite environment, a person or species living in any sort of ignorance will perish. It's just like the Gambler's Ruin law. Given finite betting money, a gambler betting on even great odds will go broke with enough time. Similarly, in this life we spend finite resources to live. Ignorance means we somehow spend them unwisely. Even if our ignorance is so small that we're unaware of it, it would still be enough to cement our eventual death in a situation where our lives are dominated by finite resources. (This is understood better when you know that current projections are that even if we had the body of a 25 year old indefinitely we would still die within about 250 years, as the result of accident or disease or something else.)

If the universe was infinite then our choices would be meaningless. This is because endless amounts of water and food and oxygen and resources would be available. It wouldn't matter whether we were smart or stupid or good or evil. Endless supplies and possibility would ensure that nobody would have to be isolated or separated based on their inherent behavior or characteristics. Endless possibility would ensure ALL things imaginable. So if you imagine yourself living a trillion years then it will be so. In infinity, there're no limitations. You want $13242342343243223? You got it!

It's primarily limitations that bring our ignorance(s) to the fore.

Even if we could know everything there's to know, what do you think life would be like if you knew EVERYTHING about the past, present and future? Every atom, every particle; everything. You'd know the day you die. You'd know why. You'd know the same for every living creature in the universe that ever lived. One has to wonder how this could be work. How can one in a finite universe know everything there's to know? In our present universe, theory prevents us from ever knowing everything. Things like quantum mechanics and light speed constraints ensure we will always be left guessing. So even our best scientific theories have condemned us to a future of ignorance.

I see us as imperfect creations in a finite universe. All problems issue from this. It could be that we're in fact infinite creations living a lie, but I guess we'll only know when we die.

S&F Good thread. I have only one indifference, Humans are hardwired for empathy but we are conditioned to disregard kindness and fairness to nature and all species, including other humans, from the day we are born. We would probably be friendly creatures if we were taken out of society, deprogrammed, and reunited later on after many generations.

The competitiveness of humans is illogical and destructive. It is such a great part of our societies of the Western world and other cultures that it just doesn't make sense. It is an animal instinct not a rational type of thinking. We have taken one of natures bad parts and improved it so well that it can destroy the planet.

Good thread but I already think as you, I doubt if it will change the thinking of people who's lifestyle is dependent on destruction of the environment

P.S. I don't fear death at all anymore, I fear hurting though cause it sucks. I also fear loosing my ability to learn. I am taking measures to make both of those fears go away by studying the foods, spices, and herbs.