Human Impact!

The traces of human development and expansion are everywhere! From the smallest corners of the planet to the ends of the Universe, or almost! Well, let's say at least to the periphery of our own solar system. Indeed, as evidenced by the unhoped-for impact of the Voyager space exploration programthat took us to outer space, humanity is scattering a little piece of itself all around it, even at astronomical distances! Although we do not know until when we will be able to receive the signal, the Voyager mission probes continue their exploration far beyond the boundaries initially envisaged, drifting until the final shutdown of their on-board mini nuclear reactors! By the way, note that we have already succeeded in sending waste, which is radioactive, to the other end of our solar system! Unbelievable but true! Ironically, this is of course without counting the many other space expeditions, their associated rubbish and the few living organisms that we have, perhaps unintentionally, already managed to introduce into extraterrestrial environments! Not to mention the countless debris from the equally incredible number of artificial satellites we have deployed in just 60 years! This is a harsh observation, of course, but it's about time! For, even if we recognize in him the qualities of a determined explorer and those of a courageous traveller, man is also a thoughtless go-getter, an inveterate polluter and a "stubborn navel-gazing!" An anthropocentrist, in short! So much so that man, initially an inhabitant of the Earth, sees the conquest of space as the logical continuation of a process of environmental colonization that did not wait for astronautical progress to make the discovery of paradises and extraordinary treasures seem like a dream. Like the conquest of the Americas, the sidereal unknown is as fascinating as it is coveted. The governments of the great powers of this World have only this in mind: conquer first! Certainly, as an explorer at heart, man has always wanted to know what is out there. This taste for adventure will certainly have put him as much in danger as it will have saved him from delicate situations. Out of simple curiosity, to find food or to escape certain death, mankind has always crossed the limits of a territory that it has never ceased to extend as its appetite grows and it crosses horizons. Appropriating everything in its path, our species considers the environment as a pantry and a "playground" dedicated to it. All the more so as it has freed itself from many constraints during its development. So much so that humans have become real "spoiled children!" However, now there is no time for jokes, the "big" child must become an adult! Humanity must become more mature! For by caring very little about what it has left behind and the consequences it has generated, humanity has impacted all the terrestrial, maritime and atmospheric strata of the planet! It has left many indelible traces and footprints that can be observed from the vacuum of space. I'm not talking about our footprints, of course, but about the ecological footprint of a humanity that has only just defined the term!

From a geological point of view, that of the anthropocene characterizes this upheaval in the evolutionary dynamics of a telluric planet in permanent change, which has had, despite itself, to integrate the human factor into the systemic situation. As proof, the organic and inorganic as a whole are under the joint influence of human activities. Geological fact that is summed up by the above-mentioned term. This environmental impact is such that it puts, if not our immediate survival at risk, our entire community in front of the accomplished fact of its fragility, with all due respect to the climate-sceptics on all sides! But worse still, almost shamelessly, as mankind turns everything upside down in its path, whole legions of animals, insects, plants and other living organisms essential to the global balance disappear, partly because of our selfishness.

As self-proclaimed "earthlings", inhabitants of a biotope whose exclusivity they have appropriated without any regard for indigenous organisms, humans have shaped the Earth in line with their civilizational evolution. In the end, the Earth's ecosystem was thus strongly transformed under the pressure of those to whom it had offered shelter and food... In spite of the proven evidence of its fragility, the question of sustainability under such a regime of exploitation still comes down to heated debates. However, one only has to understand that, with very little respect for their habitat, abandoning "household chores" to the next, men have almost always behaved like opportunists! By taking advantage of their host's kind in the course of evolution, they then became outright "parasitic" organisms, a status in clear contradiction with the principle of a "biologically sustainable relationship!" For it must be remembered that, on the contrary, the "symbiotic relationship" concedes the advantages of an equitable partnership offering the conditions for a beneficial sharing... Modern mankind is discovering this without their knowledge, or rather is beginning to rediscover it even though the concept of "mutual benefits" is still relatively foreign to them... Ruthless predators, when they do not act as true "scavengers", Human beings pride themselves on being smarter than other terrestrial creatures... They also proudly believe that they have emancipated themselves from "wild life" by showing themselves to be "super-predators" capable of dominating all the others... The extinction of the dinosaurs having made their task easier, they have, it is true, succeeded in freeing themselves from many constraints, at the price of an inevitable shift to the devastating stage of "harmful!" However, when a resistant pest "attacks" an environment that has lost much of its biodiversity, and on top of that it puts in place short-term subsistence solutions at the expense of longer-term survival, it is not surprising that the entire ecosystem begins to falter, if not decline.

Without playing the moralizing judge, the spiritual guide, nor the "apostle" of decency, the "Dalai Lama" of environmental compassion or the "ayatollah" of responsible ecology, I will end by saying: "Shame on you, man of the "twentieth century", blinded by the promises of a world that you should have, if you did not know, at least suspected would never achieve its stated goals!" For how else can you describe the attitude, if not stupid, at the very least "psychorigid", of a humanity confronted with the denial of its condition as a mere organism whose survival depends on that of others! To meditate also because our lineage could owe its salvation only to the progress of its own "symbiotic" faculty of adaptation at the risk of extinction for lack of lucidity, or even generosity! Could the twenty-first century be the century of "invested consciousness", the last chance for humanity to come face to face with itself? It is far too early to say, too "utopian" to cling to it, too idealistic to really reassure ourselves...

In the end, I would like to leave you an imprint, a trace, hopefully a positive one in spite of everything... So, disconnect yourself a little. Take a deep breath! Relax or take the opportunity to let yourself be carried away for a little more than the 11 minutes of this track entitled: Anthropocene! Maybe it won't have great consequences on the future of us all, but at least for a moment, you will have accessed a breach in space-time open to a typically "sidereal" sound universe, so as not to be "staggering..." Finally, if you still manage to follow me, perhaps immediately afterwards you will become fully aware of the global, universal, "cosmic", "holistic" dimension of life, of the Living... Perhaps you will become more present to yourself, to others and to the many living beings around you... That would be quite a good thing!

nms303