We have no fear, so we must learn to restraint
p.73, A Psalm for the Wild-Built:
So, the paradox is that the ecosystem as a whole needs its participants to act with restraint in order to avoid collapse, but the participants themselves have no inbuilt mechanism to encourage such behaviour." - “Other than fear.”
This is such an interesting and unique observation.
Humans have managed to achieve literal miracles in the last few decades. We’ve become the dominant species in every corner of the Earth. Our tools have evolved from simple stones and arrows to weapons that eject bullets faster than the speed of sound to kill an animal; be it a squirrel, a chicken, or a leopard. We now live in cities and towns - our vast nests without fear of interference from wildlife. The paradox mentioned in this quote does not apply to mankind the same way it does for other species.
This also explains why we’re actively disrupting the balance of nature. We walk the Earth as its rulers, and with so few (to none) predators, we thrive at an unsustainable pace.
As the most technological advanced species ever walk the Earth’s surface, there’s still hope that we can learn to integrate restraint into our society to prevent the total collapse of our ecosystem. Hopefully, it isn’t too late to do the right thing.