For Every Thing, A Purpose
We should view the diversity of creation as existing to reflect the grandeur of God, not to serve the various needs of humans.
The following article is reprinted with permission from University of Judaism.
One of the great debates within the environmental
community is the proper human posture toward the preservation of diverse
species. On the one hand, there are those who argue that extinction is the
normal method through which nature keeps itself trim. Throughout the eons, a
great many species have gone the way of the Dodo bird and the stegosaurus--no
longer able to compete successfully for a habitable niche in a difficult
world.
This constant cycle of evolution and extinction may
be unfortunate from the perspective of the individual Dodo, but represents a
real strength of natural adaptation to changing conditions.
It is through extinction that life remains vital.
While that may be true, it is also now the case that human beings have become a
significant factor in deciding which species survive. The High Holy Day prayer,
"who shall live and who shall die," emits an eerie pall when seen in the light
of our own excessive impact on other species.
In the past, extinction embodied the slow
reconciliation between living things and their environment. Now it is the
rapid--sometimes only a few decades--intrusion of human thoughtlessness upon the
natural order. Many species that are fully capable of surviving in the world
cannot cope with what people are doing to our planet. As we overfish our seas,
deplete our forests and tropical jungles, pollute our air and water, destroy the
ozone, and pile up mountains of non-degradable garbage, we need to re-focus our
attention, to stop and inquire about the worth of all living things. Are animals
and plants simply tools for humans to use as we choose, or is there a purpose to
all things under the heavens?
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