The Struggle of Man
to Survive
…a personal view
By Apolinario Villalobos
Man has for long, exploited the earth’s fossil residues –
oil, coal, and natural gas. As estimated by experts, their years are numbered,
so that there is a scramble now in finding ways to utilize the sources of
renewable energy, such as water, wind, and sun. Even motion will eventually be
harnessed for this purpose, as it has been used successfully in small gadgets
like flashlight and wristwatch. Many years from now, the battery with different
capacity for storage, forms and sizes shall take the center stage in this
endeavor. As of now, there are efforts being exerted to make the battery with
stored solar energy as an acceptable option, but unfortunately, with few
takers.
Moving contraptions such as cars, ships, aircrafts, etc. may
later be operated by batteries that shall store energy from wind and motion, as
the one from the sun is being used now, though, on a small scale. Homes may
utilize batteries that shall store energy from the sun and wind. The batteries
for cellphones and cameras may be recharged by motion and body heat. Such
batteries may form part of the gadget’s structure, hence, cannot be detached
for replacement.
Nature cannot take so much abuse such as denuding of forests,
unscrupulous mining, slash and burn farming, fishing with the use of poison,
dynamites, and fine meshed trawls. It yields to such onslaught by way of
floods, erosions, landslides, and depletion of marine life. With its loss of balance, deprivations, especially,
hunger shall definitely get worst.
In this view, time will come that even leaves of trees may
be made edible through a meticulous process in which, their fibers shall be
softened and flavored to make them palatable. So there may come a time when
future generations shall be munching biscuits made from coconut leaves or fill
their sandwich with jam made from grape leaves or delight in crunchies made
from twigs and tree barks, or wafers made from wood shavings and dust.
Practically, the whole tree may become edible! We are leading to that, as in
virtual preparation, we are partaking today of “ground” or “powdered” cinnamon
bark and other “woody” spices, even powdered roots as herbal drug.
With high-tech process, even poisonous fruits may already be
safe to eat, after their deadly substance has been removed. It should be noted
that some of the drugs that are used today come from poisonous plants, such as
the “tuba-tuba” that yields castor oil. Some poisonous tubers become safe to
eat after having been soaked in the running water of river for several days.
Further to this, antidotes against some poison come from the same source such
as cobra. Even the potent poisonous saliva of komodo lizard is being developed
as a powerful drug.
The crossbreeding of vegetables to make them resistant to
long drought and flood are being done now. In this regard, new varieties of
rice and corn are being developed for the aforementioned situations. Presently,
genetically-modified vegetables with remarkable increase in size and slight
change in appearance and taste are already in the market, although, opposed by
the conservatives who fear their effect to the human genes. But how can that
be, when genes of animals are already used today in therapies to prolong the
life of man?
Insects as part of exotic cuisine are becoming a fad in many
countries. So, now there are pizzas topped with crickets and grasshoppers,
sandwiches filled with wormburger, jellies made from giant black ants, baby
scorpions as appetizer, etc. Even some kind of starfish may be made into
crunchy barbecues. To avert extreme hunger, all kinds of insects may eventually
find their way to the dining table. Even crocodile and elephant skin as with
all other animals may become crunchy snacks, just like the water buffalo and
pig skin which in the Philippines is called “chicharon”.
Subdivision and condo developers may be required in the
future to have recycling facilities to make their projects self-sufficient in
water. They may also be required to install facilities for the harnessing of
sources of renewable energy. The same requirements may also be imposed on
factories, commercial buildings and supermarkets, as well as, restaurants. The
keyword here is “require”, because to date, what prevails is just the option.
In many years to come, homes, entire subdivisions, and
clustered villages may be covered with protective green fiberglass to minimize
the deadly effect of long exposure to sun rays. New cities may be developed in
this manner. High-end and exclusive subdivisions may even be totally covered to
protect the occupants from the excessive polluted air. Such green cover may
eventually become part of political promises for a healthy and better life
during electoral campaigns. Governments may set aside budgets for this, too.
Though morbid as it may sound, some remote villages in poor
countries may revive the practice of cannibalism due to extreme poverty,
though, discreetly this time. As a last resort, warring neighboring states may
forget their differences and instead, merge to pool their effort in fighting
hunger. Water may become the most important and expensive commodity on earth,
more expensive than life, as in some remote villages, parents may trade their
children for jugs of water. This is actually done now, though indirectly,
through adoption of children by foreigners, whereby, parents of adopted
children are given monetary consolation.
Politics may be replaced by religion as a driving force and
unifying factor of humanity. The struggle could be between the united Islamic
States and progressive Christians which had ever been since the Biblical time.
It should be noted that politics came into the picture only centuries later,
with the spread of the Greek philosophies that somehow classified the different
schools of thought. The classification that eventually defined the different
thoughts gave man an option to deviate from the path laid down by Godly faith.
Finally, because both Islam and Christianity are
God-centered, eventually, they may reach a compromise which shall mark another
stage of man’s struggle for survival…the beginning of a new cycle of life on
earth.
