Opposable Thumb Hubris

We homo sapiens tend to think that our opposable thumbs give us dominion over the Earth - and honestly, the fact that we have the capacity to pass along vast quantities of information from generation to generation through written communication is extraordinary. Yet, if the living beings on planet Earth formed a democracy, there is no doubt in my mind that homo sapiens would be a minority. It's possible that the bacteria, viruses and insects might lobby for us - and they are powerful lobbies. Dead species can't vote, so we have it pretty easy there as well.

But the only reason we believe we hold dominion over this planet is the hubris of mankind. Said thumbs press the point home through pen and sword across the generations, telling us we're in charge. That hubris allowed us to pollute the planet severely for the last few hundred years, proving that we could affect the environment and weather.

Perhaps that hubris can also save the planet and prove it isn't hubris.