March 13, 2024

What has humanity caused so far？

The Industrial Revolution has enriched people’s lives, but at the same time, it has had a negative impact on the natural environment. It seems to me that humanity now needs to calmly rethink what is truly important, and to rethink what kind of values we hold and live by in this context.

『The Industrial Revolution promoted industrialization and made people’s lives much more convenient. While this was a wonderful thing, it seems that it was around this time that visible destruction of the natural environment, such as rising carbon dioxide concentrations in the air and pollution, began. This was the start of various technological innovations that transformed people’s lives. Furthermore, increasingly advanced technology brought many benefits, but on the other hand, the competition that made full use of these technologies was not limited to the industrial world, and it also resulted in previously unthinkable “evil,” such as large-scale wars using weapons of mass destruction. It seems that a major problem was inherent in the fact that, due to the rapid technological innovation, it was not possible to clearly draw the line between right and wrong, or to properly carry out risk assessments such as environmental impact assessments in advance. Humanity generally likes new things, and may be insensitive to the risks and problems that lie behind them.』

『I think we need to calmly reexamine what is truly important to humanity, and consider what values we live by and how we want to live our lives.』

I would like to look to the purpose of people’s lives in the future.（1）

In the inner lives of people living in the modern world that I have seen so far, although life has become more convenient, I have wondered if we have not left something important behind in terms of the connections between people and between people and nature. In order for people to be truly happy, I think it is important to maintain an environment in which people can be enlivened.

『It doesn’t seem like people’s hearts are necessarily fulfilled. While people’s lives have become much more convenient with the development of technology, I can’t help but feel that we have left something important behind somewhere. However, I also think that if we can get a firm grasp on what is important, we can use the progress that has been made so far and live a richer life. I think that people’s purpose in life is different for each person, but still, I think that it is about finding something to be passionate about, aiming for a goal, nurturing love, being moved by beautiful nature, art, and interactions with people, and in short, making our hearts happy. I hope that everyone will wipe away the recent feeling of slowness that has been floating around, rediscover what is important, and live a lively life. For me, my purpose in life is to steadily protect the people and natural environment that are important to me.』