It is clear that modern man is setting the stage for his own demise due to his careless squandering of the earth's natural resources. and lack of governments global concern. The destruction is most clear in the many cosmopolitan cities that dot the face of the planet where the plethora of cars clog the highways and the towering smoke stacks fill the air with toxins and pollutants from the ever-present industrial ‘parks’. This trend of denaturalization first begun in the early eighteen hundreds with the start of the industrial revolution and epitomized by Henry Ford and his approach to mass production with the introduction of the first Model-T car, which for the first time made the automobile available to the masses. Struggling to coexisting with this perpetual drive towards industry and globalization are the aboriginals who despite the influence of the modern world choose to adhere to their ancient traditions and the way of nature. With the earth's inhabitable space and limited resources quickly being used up we must again learn from these simple people and find a balance that uses the best of both worlds to save not only modern civilization but the planet as a whole by developing a deeper respect for the ecosystem, animals and the air that we breathe.

Through the media, Internet websites, and documentaries such as Al Gore's “An Inconvenient Truth”, it is increasingly becoming general knowledge that the earth has approached a crisis situation and scientists are frequently showing new evidence and studies that point to man's carelessness as the main culprit. The folly is the result of man distancing himself from his organic nature. Man in his essence is indeed an organic being. The ancient Greeks were aware of man's roots and depicted this in the word “humanus” from which we derive the English word “human”. Humanus translates as “up from the soil”. However our development technologically and intellectually have distanced us from our organic connection. Our constant push and advancement in the sciences has introduced synthetic things such as drugs and medicine, plastic, and even devices that simulate reality such as TV, video games and computers which have become a surrogate way for many to experience reality. All these things have given us a false vision of the world and what life is really about. Even wars depicted on the evening news become a distorted form of entertainment and because we see it on a screen somehow the seriousness of the devastation doesn't fully sink in. The line between fantasy and reality grows increasingly obscured and we have gradually become desensitized to chaos. Fortunately, this desensitization while virtually a global epidemic, has not infected everyone.

Living or existing as an anomaly in this industrialized modern world are the various aboriginal and native cultures that continue to live in harmony with nature and rely on the gifts of the earth for food, medicine and shelter. All their basic needs for survival they find in the water, trees, plants and animals found in their surroundings. In contrast to the ‘civilized’ world, their ways of existing are sustainable. While the industrial world blindly wastes its natural resources, by over fishing and deforestation, native peoples through the centuries have learned to understand the rhythm of the earth and its natural cycles. Their very survival has been dependent on this understanding. They have a natural way of knowing the limits of their hunt (of caribou), what amount of fish to catch, how many reserves to collect for the changing of the seasons.

Before Columbus came to America, the natives had no concept of diseases or viruses such as the flu, measles, small pocks etc. Today, pharmaceutical companies, are creating synthetic drugs to combat diseases. Because of the introduction of synthetic chemicals into our body system, viruses have adapted and become resistant to antibiotics, thus we have ourselves created the threat of new diseases and super-viruses that could potentially create a catastrophic global epidemic. In any native culture, you'll find a healer that relies not on synthetic drugs, but on the bounty of mother earth. These healers, known as Shamans, or curanderos of Spanish-speaking countries, typically use herbs, bark, roots, and even psychotropic plants in the treatment of illnesses. Unfortunately, in areas such as the Amazon, especially Brazil, mining companies and logging are eating away at the lands that have been the home to the indigenous tribes since ancient times, and in the process thousands of hectares of rainforest containing rare and undiscovered curative plants are disappearing daily because of man's ignorant and uncontrolled greed.

Even in ancient times it was recognized as a concern that man was moving out of the forests and jungles to inhabit urban communities. In Ayurveda, the Indian healing system that dates back some 5000 years, healers wrote that the migration of people into cities was creating an imbalance in man's very nature. They observed that man is made up of three organic essences know as the tridoshas – pitta (fire), vata (air), and kapha (water), which, when in balance, create a healthy body. Because of this organic essence it was observed that the ideal conditions that the forest provided was conducive to maintaining perfect harmony in mind, body and spirit.

Overpopulation, ubiquitous concrete, overflowing landfill sites, psychological illnesses, obesity, and so on, are all testaments to our imbalanced state. It is estimated that by 2018 there will be 9.2 billion people on the planet. Will the earth be able to sustain this rapid growth? Our inability to recognize the future consequences of our present actions have brought us to our current state despite early warning signs.

The time to act is now and fortunately we do see people becoming more proactive in paying attention to what needs to be done to reverse the negative trends that are causing global warming and other issues. At the governmental level we see leaders responding to public criticism by setting targets such as the Kyoto Accord. In Canada an area 1 ½ times the size of New Brunswick has been reserved in the Banff Basin due to the joint efforts of the Canadian Government, The First Nations, and ecological groups such as the World Wildlife Fund. At the industrial level we see companies such as EPCOR finding strategic ways to reduce energy consumption. And on the individual level we see people turning to alternative methods of preventative medicine such as acupuncture, ayurveda, naturopathy, etc. There is also a growing trend to balance the mind, body and spirit connection as we see people flocking towards yoga, qigong, and tai chi. People involved in these activities are more health conscious, choosing organic food over genetically modified foods, and are also more ecologically aware, demanding governments and industry make sound choices.

It’s time that we get fed up and propel this revolution of global awareness into full force. Let’s keep this trend going by putting more pressure on our leaders, and also by observing how each of us can embrace our organic essence by making choices that are sound for the ecosystem of which we are a part.