Human Dominance and Waste

I consider myself fortunate to be teaching GE 11 and 12 at the same time, because the connections between the two classes are endless. Yes, this is not surprising because they are designed to flow from one to the other, but it is still fascinating! In GE 11 we are discussing human dominance and mankind's supposed "flaw," and in GE 12 we just completed a reading on "waste." In my mind, the connection is as obvious as a flashing light, the waste in the world is a direct result of man's belief in his own dominance on the planet, as well as his belief that he is a flawed creation. This leads me to question something. Are any other creatures on this planet "wasteful?" Our reading talked not only about physical waste, such as trash, but also about the waste of human potential. Do any other creatures create non-biodegradable garbage? I don't think so. Do any other creatures waste their potential? Are there any lions out there who are really great hunters but cannot find a job hunting so they are reduced to driving taxis for tourists? I don't think so. Do any animals except humans think they are fundamentally flawed and could never possibly discover the right way to live? I certainly don't think my cats think so!

Hmmm, this is really very interesting. Humans are the dominant species, humans want to control the earth and everything on it, humans are destroying the earth and everything on it, humans think this is natural because they will never access the divine knowledge of how to live. All other creatures, on the other hand, just live. What is wrong with this picture? Why did this happen? Is there any other way to explain it besides fate, destiny, the laws of the cosmos?

I'd love to hear other people's thoughts on this. What do you think is the reason man got to this place and other creatures did not? Do you ever wish you were anything other than human? What would the trade - offs be? Do you think we can ever go "back?" If not, what is necessary for mankind to survive?