Don't Chew With Your Mouth Open

One of the earliest memories I have about my father--one of my earliest memories in any respect, actually--happens at the breakfast table. It was at his old house along the mountain preserve, before he married my step-mother. In other words, it was a simple time. My father lived similarly to the way I live now: just because I wore one T-shirt today doesn't mean I can't wear it again before washing it. Who decided that one use is all our clothes can handle anyway? In the living room was an old, red reclining chair so old and worn down by cat scratches that it literally was held together by duct tape. Anyways, at breakfast one morning, I happened to be slurping up my cereal--most likely Cracklin' Oat Bran--extra loud. Dad, who was always quick to make sure that I learned my manners (as was my mother, for that matter) said to me, "Joey, close your mouth when you're chewing your food. You sound like a cow." Of course, my four or five-year-old self minded his orders without a second thought. To this day I am quick to judge someone who chews with their mouth open, but then I remember: they must not have had such a great Dad like me who knew that other people didn't like it when you munched on your food like an irrational animal. But now that I'm older I think, We are the only species on the planet that is so peticular about insignificant things! Seriously, I will admit that I judge people who chew with their mouth open because of the way I was brought up. But how sad is that! We are willing to disregard someone simply because of the way they eat their food. Cows chew with their mouth open. So do dogs. You don't see cows or dogs fighting amongst themselves, weeding out prospective mates based on their eating habbits, the way they dress, or how often they floss their teeth. Give me a break!

So, what's different about us, as human beings, that sets us apart from every other animal on the planet? Well, that's easy. Our intellect. Even the early Greeks recognized that we are different from our simple-minded, animal friends. And it is for that reason that we are guilty of the Pathetic Fallacy. The Pathetic Fallacy is a term I learned reading about the history ofr Buddhism. Basically, it is the (false) idea that human beings are at the center of corporeal life in the universe. In other words, we assume that any history of the universe is really just a history of human beings. But how wrong we are!

My point in all of this, as I hope becomes clear, is to show that reason, that which separates us from all other life on Earth, is a flaw to our species. It is a detrimental mutation that already is leading to the downfall of mankind, if not the entire Earth as our habitat. In brief words, take a look at all these "Save the Earth" initiatives. They are all in place because of what WE have done to the planet. You don't see elephants trying to save the earth because of how they too often leave the water running when they brush those big white tusks. And you don't see monkeys forming coalitions to recycle in order to halt how quickly consumer products become waste. HUMAN BEINGS ARE AT THE ROOT AND, WITHOUT A DOUBT, THE CAUSE FOR THE DESTRUCTION OF INTELLIGENT LIFE. In other words, we are our own worst enemy.

My hope is not only to point out that life sucks and we only have ourselves to blame. Rather it is to show that nothing is as important as we think it is. Nothing. In as much as we are a product of nature, the tragedy that is the destruction of our planet is also a part of nature. It is natural. It is the way it's supposed to be. So, what does this mean for the way in which we're supposed to live? Let's find out.