What is our relationship with the wildlife?
A study (link attached) on the mammal biomass distribution among wild, domesticated and humans reveals something deeply unsettling. About 150 years ago, there was an equal proportion of wild mammal biomass (including marine life) and humans along with animals used by humans. Now, there is only 5% of wild mammal biomass on this planet whereas humans along with animals used by humans such as cows, pigs, horses etc. account for the remaining 95%.
The leading cause of this shift is the cumulative effect of change in land use pattern, overfishing (driven by industrial scale fishing) and factory farming.
This is a consequence of blind consumption of the collective humanity and these desires behind the consumption do not keep the wild mammals in mind. The population is shrinking because of our utter disregard for the wild.
From the teaching of Acharya Prashant, I have learnt that when blind desire takes over, nothing except the way to fulfill that desire is seen. If clearing of rainforest can yield farming land for palm oil resulting in cheaper potato chips, why would I even see or care about what is happening to the rainforest and the wildlife in it?
This is why self-knowledge and education of self to the masses is extremely important as Acharya Prashant continuously teaches. Self-knowledge not only alleviates the dark place from where the desires originate but also dismantles any beliefs that there is fundamentally any difference between different life forms. Self-knowledge can be the only source of respect for our own being and others.
How do you see the following questions-
- How can we foster better relationships with the wild?
- Can truly genuine respect be given to other species without first respecting our own being?
- What does respecting your own being mean to you?