A domesticated species is one whose body and behavior has been specifically modified. Spastic, neurotic humanity is as much a victim of animal husbandry as any nervous wreck of a Chihuahua. And like our artificially selected cousin the Chihuahua, we are dependent and helpless. Useless, really, for anything but serving the whims of our master. This master, a.k.a., Civilization, has broken us so well, we believe we need it to survive.We're so helpless, news broadcasters report on power-outages like they're a tragedy. Yeah, they're inconvenient, but we've existed a lot longer without electricity than with. But the grid is part of the illusion of control. When even a tiny part of the matrix fails, it's news worthy. It plays on our worst fears...that dangerous, untamed forces might rush in and destroy everything. And if a few people die? Oh my God! This proves the worst could happen to us, too.
This is the leash our master keeps us on.
Once upon a time, we were strong, courageous and intelligent hunter-gatherers, who took only what we needed. We enjoyed symbiotic relationships with other species. Scavenging canines hung out around our encampments, strengthening both their territories and ours. Ravens, who help many predators hunt, were our friends. We even grew into a symbiosis with herbivores by propagating the kinds of plants they liked. Being around human and canine territories meant fewer predators for the herds. These relationships developed naturally and were mutual, they weren't the result of our “superiority.” This peaceful co-existence lasted so much longer than anything since.
But.
We became greedy, rapacious gluttons. Simple pastoral and agrarian ways devolved into the obscenities of deforestation, mono-culture and mass predator-killing. With an excess of stored food, came the perceived need to protect the stores. As food stores grew, so grew the population, so grew the fear, which spun-off to infect many other areas of life. With the Bronze Age, lethal weapons fertilized growing fears, and with the Iron Age came even worse weapons. The more sophisticated the weaponry became, the deeper the fear was driven. This schizophrenic, divisive dynamic grew exponentially all the way into the really terrified Nuclear Age. And Monsanto.
People believe civilization was created for humanity. That's the dominant myth. It's the only myth never argued among your arguing factions. They'll fight endlessly about every other infinitesimal nuance of the smoke and mirrors, but never that. Yes, civilization emerged because of us. But for us? Hardly. It's murdered too many billions of us for that to be true. It exists only for itself, murdering the planet, extincting her darlings. When this planet is sucked dry, it'll just move on to another, and we'll pat ourselves on the back for being such clever colonists. We refuse to see the escalating sickness as anything other than progressive improvements on the way things used to be. We believe the way it is, is the way it's supposed to be. Because we are the most domesticated animal we have ever bred.
Anne has finished her first novel and is busy peddling it to agents and publishers. She can be found wandering the streets of Crestone, CO and hanging out in Internet cafes. Contact her at annepyterek@gmail.com
