All species, until about 10,000 years ago when humans became "civilized", followed the unspoken laws of nature:
--Never exterminate your competitors. Animals hunt each other for food, and kill in defense, but never hunt down another species just for the purpose of making them dead. Humans exterminate the wolves that hunt their cattle, the birds that steal their crops.
--You may deny your competitors access to what you're eating, but not food in general. A lion says "This gazelle is mine" but won't defend the herd and say "All of these gazelles are mine" as other animals have to eat as well. Humans will go so far as to not let other species eat any food at all.
--Take what you need and leave the rest alone. Animals simply do this, they eat what they can, and leave the rest for others. Humans systematically destroy the food of other species to make room for their own, such as burning the rain forest to make room for cattle and fields.
What do you think? Why did humans suddenly stop following these rules of nature, rules that every other animal follows? When other animals fail to follow these laws, they die out rather quickly. Do you think this may happen to humans if we don't change the way we live?
(Sidenote: For anyone that recognizes this, yes I am reading "Ishmael" by Daniel Quinn. It's a very good book, one that is putting everything I've always thought into words. If you haven't read it, I suggest that you go out and pick up a copy.)
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