Reading others’ posts and hearing the discussion in the lecture, it seems like there is much worry about the Anthropocene coming to an end, humans nearing an ever imposing cliff, like a car never able to stop. The underwater sculpture named Anthropocene by Jason DeCaires Taylor that we saw in class indicates that modern-industrialized humans might be trying to stop a car that is already headed out, off the cliff, and already becoming a part of the history (and not the future) of Earth. Even with modern-day-industrialized humans’ chances at stopping this matter, maybe we are just throwing ourselves in front of the car.
The history of the Anthropocene makes humans seem like bad actors, often telling records of us pillaging forests and villages of nature, and manufacturing entire ecosystems. Even though we have caused much damage and harm, we have also given much back and have helped the earth in many ways. Maybe instead of being bad actors, we, as modern-industrialized humans, are really just another set of actors in the play of the whole earth. Maybe the play will go on without us. One of the community members mentioned during the after-lecture-discussion that the earth will live on no matter what we do to it – it will still be turning around the sun, experiencing seasons, and inhabiting some form of life, recognizable or not. I agree with him, and turn the question to everyone, will the earth continue living with or without humans? What does that mean for our lives and the lives/animals/plants of nature?
Jack Flynn made a good comment saying that Art gives us a “different way to view the world that we shape.” Maybe we should use art and creation to help us humans remember that we are just humans, are always learning, and this is another step and obstacle the human race, our communities, and us as individuals, have to learn from.