Sustainable Systems- “Learning How to Die in the Anthropocene”

Reading response9- “Learning How to Die in the Anthropocene”

Personally, I think the reading is interesting. It really puts those issues that writer mentions in the reading in their proper perspective. The article has not only talked about the fact of environment issues, but it also has showed a different perspective from us as human beings and has presented a new way of living, which is living in “anthropocene”. This idea is totally new for me, but I think it is very interesting to think environment issues in this way. I believe that as a human being, we all should take full responsibility for climate change. Small reactions and changes that we make in our daily life will affect how our environment reacts. There are many small things we can change. For example, be more awareness of recycling; turn off the water when we brush our teeth and wash face and so on. Moreover, the writer mentions the host of other potentially disastrous self-imposed threats to our human civilization and planetary well being such as the onset of the sixth great extinction event, impending global fresh water shortages, the degradation of arable land, the toxic runoff of pesticides and fertilizers into our oceans and waterways, the threat of deadly viruses, and the abuse of antibiotics. Also I like the idea of “learning how to die isn’t easy” in the reading. Anthropocene is that we can contemplate the inevitability of the death of not just ourselves, our village our country and our culture, but the death of our species.

I agree and like the idea of “The choice is a clear one. We can continue acting as if tomorrow will be just like yesterday, growing less and less prepared for each new disaster as it comes, and more and more desperately invested in a life we can’t sustain. Or we can learn to see each day as the death of what came before, freeing ourselves to deal with whatever problems the present offers without attachment or fear.” Just as he mentions in the reading, the choice for us is very clear, all we need to do is to make the action and wake up. I believe that we as strong individual can make a huge difference if we take more actions with this issue.