Mistakes are a part of being human. Appreciate your mistakes for what they are: precious life lessons that can only be learned the hard way. Unless it’s a fatal mistake, which, at least, others can learn from.
— Al Franken
As humans, we are bound to mess up. Luckily, most of these mistakes help us to grow and learn. As a species, mankind has made many mistakes, yet none of them have been fatal — yet. We have survived war, natural disasters, and diseases. But will we survive the Anthropocene?
Climate change may just be our fatal mistake. As a species, we are responsible for mass extinctions, land degradation, harmful emissions, ocean toxicity, and more. No other species can claim such damage. As we have trudged onwards in the name of industrialization and the consumer, we have made boundless mistakes, all effecting our planet. Thus far, our mistakes have not been fatal for mankind. But, as we continue, we must be wary, knowing that the next mistake could be our last.
Humans are incredible. We can think critically, fathom the vastness of our universe, create, build, destroy, solve problems, and understand the complexities of our world. Yet, with a wealth of knowledge at our fingertips, we continue to make the same mistakes. We have gambled with our fate, never knowing which mistake could be our last. Collectively we refuse to learn.
While strides have been made to improve the state of our earth, it is not enough.
While a portion of our species has made changes for the better, it is not enough.
While some countries have implemented sustainability into society, it is not enough.
I believe that solving the problems of the Anthropocene cannot be done by a few, or even many. It must be done by most. We have made plenty of mistakes, it is time we learn from them.