We don’t deserve this way of life

Civilization is not and can never be sustainable. This is especially true for industrial civilization. – Derrick Jensen

1. Animal testing is still a thing and even though it’s lesser today than in the past animal testing lay the foundation for most of the medicine we have in today’s western world. As well as most chemicals you take for granted in your toothpaste, computer, TV, cellphone, paints, plastics and so on they have all been tested on non-human animals many, many times of the past. One reason we don’t deserve this way of life.

2. The notion that everything belongs to us is very evident in today’s industrial world. There are those who claim that we should manage resources more gently and efficient, even claim we should only use renewable resources. Problem of course is that everything around us is still seen as resources, things to be used by us. Thing that exists for us. And another reason why we don’t deserve this way of life.

3. Violence. No other cultures has been as violent as the civilized ones. While we are not the first civilization to exist we sure as heck are the most violent but all civilizations has been based on violence. It is impossible to have this kind of social arrangements without it. As your cities grow you need to expand your territories more and more to make sure you get the ”resources” needed to sustain your way of life. And another reason why we don’t deserve this way of life.

4.  We live on borrowed time. Most of us alive today are only alive because of oil. There is no way 7+ billion human beings would be living today unless it was for the usage of oil and oil will one day not exist in the volumes needed to keep this global civilization going. There is as far as I know no other thing out there that could replace oil and how much it has helped us create what all of us alive today take as a given; industrial society. One day our numbers will get reduced. Whether we do it on our own, voluntarily, or that the real physical world will do it for us remains to be seen. And you guessed it. Another reason why we don’t deserve this way of life.

5. Species extinction. This is of course directly connected to the previous entry. Because of our numbers we of course are starting to take over so much of the planet, which is needed to sustain this way of life and the growing numbers that we still are. This of course leads to other species having to give up on their homes, their territories because we come in and lay siege on the lands to put it to human use and gains the fifth reason as to why we don’t deserve this way of life.

6. The belief in infinite growth on a finite planet. When all comes down it you most likely will land in this magical belief that actually lays like a shimmer in our society; from political systems, to religious beliefs.. this is one of the most unquestioned assumptions of all time I think. This belief is of course insane. No species can ever grow outside of the carrying capacity of the planet and expect to make it out all happy and good. And this is my final entry as to why we simply do not deserve this way of life.

Industrial civilization is odds with everything sane. It is at odds with life itself. It is as odds with us humans (despite it being our own creation) as it also is increasingly making us more and more ill both mentally and physically. We simply do not deserve this way of life.