The Seven Deadly Humans

"The world is not created for or about humans."

     Last week, my college was bestowed with the honor of having Stephen Greenblatt as a guest speaker. He focused his lecture on a number ideas from paintings, religion and ancient studies. He covered a range of themes in his speech; however, the above quote was truly what impacted me as an audience member.

    Too often do we as a member of society (or even as an inhabitant on this very planet) forget such a moral. Several creatures and species made Earth their home long before humans had ever occupied even a corner of the Earth. Why do we see ourselves as so important? Why have we placed such a high regard on ourselves, and why have we not done something about it?

    I suppose all of this, like Greenblatt was saying, goes back to the bible. The Seven Deadly Sins exist as a reminder not to fall into such a trap: lust, gluttony, greed, envy, sloth, wrath and pride. An excess of one or more of such sins will ultimately lead to the demise of an individual.

    But what if these sins weren't meant to signal the fate of a single person, but rather society as a whole? What if these sins mirror all human beings and foreshadow what is to come of us as a species? Consumed by such frivolous and silly traits — have we truly begun to believe that the world was created for humans and none else?

    Perhaps this may be true but it is up to us as people to recognize this fact, act on it, and change it. Otherwise, we will all eventually be each of the seven deadly sins.