We crown ourselves kings atop the arrogant pyramid, blind to the legions of invisible foes that outnumber us. How fragile our dominion, how laughable our might, when creatures unseen lay waste to our bodies.
I am writing this in the humble observation of what an invisible allergen is causing to my body. And I, a PhD in Chemistry, am harmless against it.
We boast of "saving the planet," self-appointed saviors, yet still cling to a belief in our superiority, ignorant that the world endures despite us, and it is we who are transient, fleeting in our power.
We have long positioned ourselves at the pinnacle of a metaphorical pyramid, believing in our inherent superiority over the natural world. We even speak of Nature as separate from us, making ourselves above it, making ourselves in control of what created us.
This self-appointed dominance is built on the back of our technological advancements, intellectual achievements, and our capacity to manipulate the environment. However, this belief in our supremacy is increasingly challenged by the microscopic adversaries that share our planet and the arrogant notion that we are the saviors of a world that existed long before us and will likely continue long after.
The concept of a hierarchical pyramid with humans at the top is an artifact of anthropocentric thinking. Because we have the ability to alter our surroundings (dramatically, I would add), we somehow believe we are above all other forms of life. Yet, this makes us a destructor not a “superior saviour”!
The very qualities that make microscopic life invisible to us— their size and simplicity—grant them an almost invincible resilience.
“Never say higher or lower in referring to organisms… Say more complicated.” — Damasio
Another aspect of our perceived superiority is the belief that humans are the stewards of Earth, with the power to "save the planet." The planet does not require saving in the sense that we often imply. Earth has undergone dramatic transformations over billions of years, from mass extinctions to climatic upheavals, and life has continued to evolve and adapt through it all.
The real question is, are we capable to transform? To transform not only physiologically but also (and especially) in consciousness and behaviours?
When we speak of saving the planet, what we truly mean is preserving the environment in a state that is hospitable for human life. The rhetoric of planetary salvation often carries an undertone of human exceptionalism, suggesting that without our intervention, the Earth would somehow fail. In reality, it is human civilization that stands to lose the most from environmental degradation, not the planet itself.
Moreover, this mentality perpetuates the idea that we are apart from and above the natural world, rather than a part of it. It ignores the interconnectedness of all life forms and the complex ecosystems that sustain us. By believing we are the ultimate saviors, we overlook the fact that many of our actions continue to contribute to the planet's ecological crises.
To address these misconceptions, we must shift from an anthropocentric viewpoint to one of ecological humility. Recognizing our interconnectedness with all life forms and the environment is crucial. This means acknowledging that our actions have far-reaching impacts and that our survival is intricately linked to the health of the ecosystems we inhabit. It is our duty to use our privileges responsibly. It means respecting the complexity of life and seek harmony rather than domination.
To express all I feel this morning, I wrote a poem because, “We are not thinking machines that feel, we are feeling machines that think” ― António R. Damásio
The skin beneath my skin is eating me alive,
a quiet enemy, unseen, yet felt in every breath.
I am a map of ache, each line a path to nowhere.
The bed is a battlefield where I lie awake,
craving sleep that never comes, a tease, a ghost.
Chairs reject my weight; the floor mocks me too.
Night presses its heavy hands on my chest,
and I sift through remedies like sand,
each grain a promise turned lie,
each moment a wave of pain rising, breaking.
Morning comes, not as a relief,
but a relentless continuation of this war.
Despair is the taste of each new dawn,
bitter, metallic, lodged in my throat.
I chase the miracle key, the end to this,
but it slips through my fingers, a cruel mist.
Day after day, the cycle grinds my bones,
a millstone of minutes, hours, lifetimes.
My own skin is a stranger, betraying me.
The mirror shows a ghost, a hollow echo.
I exist in the margins, a footnote of agony,
while the world spins on, indifferent, untouched.
The miracle is a distant star, cold and uncaring,
and I am lost in the dark, seeking, seeking.
The impotence is in the smallness of it all,
an enemy so minuscule, it mocks grand strength.
Invisible not by stealth but by nature’s design,
and I, a giant, a king, rage like a lion caged,
my roar swallowed by the silence of the unseen.
What use is might when the foe cannot be struck?
I perish under my own skin, a kingdom crumbling,
each cell a traitor, each moment a revolt I can't quell.
More poems in Defiance of What Rules Us can be dowloaded here.
Some Scientific Notes: Microorganisms, which are invisible to the naked eye, outnumber us by astronomical magnitudes and can bring entire societies to their knees. The microscopic world operates on principles of evolution and survival that do not bend to human will. Bacteria, viruses, and fungi have existed for billions of years, adapting to every possible environmental change. They thrive in conditions that would obliterate human life, and their simple biological makeup allows for rapid adaptation.
Our current struggle with global pandemics and antibiotic-resistant bacteria exemplifies our vulnerability. Despite our advanced medical technologies and scientific prowess, we find ourselves often helpless against these microscopic foes. They mutate, evolve, and adapt in ways that continually outpace our interventions. The COVID-19 pandemic, for instance, reminded us that no matter how advanced we believe our society to be, an invisible virus can disrupt global economies, healthcare systems, and daily life.
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