The Big Picture (Last Poisonwood post)

A week or two ago, I finally finished reading the Poisonwood Bible. Excellent book. Aside from possessing symbolic actions, vivid descriptions, five intriguing characters, and a well-developed plot, the story offers several vital messages near its end.

One message that struck me in particular came from Adah. As a medical student who quit her profession on moral grounds ("stealing life out of nature's jaws"), she provides an intriguing view of where humans fit into the world.

"In the world, the carrying capacity for humans is limited..." she says. "When Albert Schweitzer walked into the jungle...he meant to save every child, thinking Africa would then learn how to have fewer children. But when families have spent a million years making nine in hopes of saving one, they cannot stop making nine. Culture is a slingshot moved by the force of its past. When the strap lets go, what flies forward will not be family planning, but the small, hard head of a child. Overpopulation has deforested three quarters of Africa, yielding drought, famine, and the probable extinction of all animals most beloved by children and zoos. The competition for resources intensifies, and burgeoning tribes itch to kill each other. For every life saved by vaccination or food relief, one is lost to starvation or war." (528)

This notion that Adah speaks of (overpopulation) is nothing new- as scientists, humanitarians, and family planning services have been addressing it since the 1960's. But as the human population is expected to reach 10 billion in the next decade, this is truly a cause for concern. If you think about it- it's overpopulation that poses the greatest threat to the planet. Climate change, competition for resources, widespread starvation, pandemics, and disruption of ecosystems owe their existence to exploding human numbers.

When the population of a certain organism explodes, nature tends to react with one or more control mechanisms. A large herbivore population may be kept in check by predators, disease, or a limit in food abundance. These are, in a sense, the "laws of nature".

The overpopulation that we face today is not occuring because certain families decide to have nine children instead of one. Rather, it's happening because we lack natural control mechanisms. We've eliminated large numbers of diseases, destroyed all or most animal competition, created nearly limitless food supplies, and thus multiplied our numbers.

Another important fact to note is that we've always had, and always will have plenty of kids. This is what Adah was getting at. Our desire to reproduce is driven by an ever-present genetic instinct. Whether we like it or not, this instinct is always with us. An individual who doesn't wish to reproduce will contribute nothing to the gene pool, whereas the family with nine kids may end up with nine additional offspring for each child.

As of now, it seems as though there is little hope of solving overpopulation without taking drastic measures (ie, cannibalism). Before any action can be taken, however, one major question must be addressed: Are humans really above the laws of nature?

According to Adah, we are far from it. As proven by the Black Death, overcrowded cities and long-distance networks create perfect conditions for the spread of disease. As Adah herself said, "Air travel, roads, cities, prostitution, and the congregation of people for efficient commerce- these are gifts of godspeed to the virus". So perhaps a new strain of disease- one that does not respond to known cures- will end the human stranglehold on the planet. It's not entirely impossible. AIDS, as you know, is a very recent epidemic. And as of now, an entire order of animals may be in the process of extinction. Frogs and ampibians all over the world are believed to be dying from chytrid fungus- a disease that was discovered less than 20 years ago. "What does this have to with humanity?" you may ask. Well, my friend- WE humans could be next.

Also, please save the frogs.