How Humans Help the World

By Nate Feldman

Quite often, when people talk about the effects of humans on planet Earth, they focus on negative things, such as global warming, deforestation, pollution, and general destruction.  We cannot ignore such things, but focusing on that too much can lead to cynicism and defeatism.  It’s as if we cannot control ourselves and are doomed to destroy the planet.  The reality is that humans have also had many wonderful effects on the planet which we should celebrate.

While it is true that humans have caused the extinction of animal life in some cases, we also protect animal life.  Things like nature preserves enable many animals to thrive and do well in ways they wouldn’t if they were out in the wild.  There are animal shelters and other organizations that dedicate a lot of their time for the betterment of animal life.  Furthermore,  many people provide loving homes to domesticated animals, such as dogs and cats.  If you compare the health and lifespan of domesticated house cats to feral cats, you will undoubtedly see that cats around humans do much better than those without them.

Human knowledge of the sciences has the potential to save the world from future catastrophes.  It is believed by many scientists that Dinosaurs went extinct due to an asteroid collision 65 million years ago.  Today, with the invention of advanced telescopes, we are able to detect things from outer space that have the potential to wreak havoc on our planet the way that asteroid did.  Also, if a large asteroid is heading to our planet, we are developing technology to knock it off its course.  Other animal species have never had such capabilities. 

These things are not written to ignore the many negative consequences that humans are having on the planet.  This is to also give us credit where credit is due.  Many of us do good things for the planet every day and it is important we celebrate that as much as we focus on the bad things as well.

My Travels

 By Nate Feldman

It’s very hard to know where to begin with different adventures I have had in my life.  I took family trips to Canada, the Bahamas, France, and Spain when I was young.  I went to England with my brother and mother in the summer of 2000, the year I graduated from high school.  But, I’d definitely say the first really big adventure I had was going to India in the summer of 2003. 

My original purpose for traveling to India that summer was to study the Arabic language at the Henry Martyn Institute (HMI) in the city of Hyderabad.  I had begun studying Arabic in the fall of 2002.  India, of course, did not seem like a logical choice to study Arabic since of course, it is not an Arab country.  However, the US war with Iraq, which began that March, had made the United States extremely unpopular in the Middle East and North Africa, so I thought it wouldn’t be a good time to travel to one of those countries.  Furthermore, I had had an interest in India and Indian culture for the previous two years.  When I found that Arabic was offered as a summer course at HMI, it seemed like a good option.

Another thing that attracted me to the Henry Martyn Institute was that it’s a center that advances inter-religious dialogue among the various communities of Hyderabad, something essential in a place famous for being home to a variety of religions and sects.  Different parts of the city had had communal riots between members of different faiths.  HMI was working to build bridges of understanding between these people. 

The staff had Muslims, Christians, Hindus, and Sikhs working together.  They initiated a lot of programs in the community to bring people of different religions together to understand one another and learn to live with one another.  For example, I visited a school where people of different religions were studying with one another.  I also saw an embroidery program which gathered women from the different religions to make different items. 

Despite this fascinating experience, I’d say the thing that I remember most about my time in India was the relationship I built with people there.