Will Humanity Reach Maturity Before It Kills Itself?

When I was a child and saw a rabbit on the lawn, I would chase him, convinced that because I thought he was cute that he would want me to pet him. Or else, if I saw some creature that was not so cute, I felt it was my right and even duty to kill it. This was a child’s understanding of nature.

When I was an adolescent/young adult, I was too busy with making my way in human society to think much of the wild animals around me at all. Because I was always in a rush to get somewhere I did not pay attention to little creatures that crossed the road and too often ignored the damage that I caused. This is a young adult’s understanding of nature.

As I have grown older, I see each of God’s creations as miraculous and precious. I see each of them as part of a web of life impossible to understand but glorious to contemplate. This is a mature adult’s understanding of nature.

Humanity is now at the young adult’s stage. Where once it killed with pride, thought it had dominion over nature, it now no longer factors nature into its plans much at all. It is my hope humanity is able to reach maturity before the damage it does in its youth becomes irreparable. There is no guarantee that we will; the recklessness of youth often proves fatal. Some of us perish, some of us are lucky enough to make the transition smoothly. Still others encounter a harsh slap in the face by reality which causes us to realize how much we risk with our childish behavior. I fear this is the path we’ve taken, but there is still hope for the human race to reach adulthood before the recklessness of our youth claims our very lives. There is still that chance for us to climb out of the wreckage of a car crash, look at the damage that has been wrought, and realize how wonderful life is and how foolish it is to throw it all away. Those who have been given a second chance, who have felt themselves redeemed and repentant, can testify to the power and miraculousness of such an occurrence.