Nothing left to give?

"If we don't change direction soon, we'll end up where we're going."

- Prof. Irwin Corey

      During my college days, I had a chat concerning 'the ethics of innovations' with a Professor. He opined, it is not a good thing to keep track of sustainability or consequential effects of an innovation while in the process of its incubation. The appropriate way to proceed with innovations and ideas is to look at the positive side of things rather than at the limitations they could possibly impose later. So an Engineer need not burden himself with the other consequences once his objective is achieved, it is an option left to his discretion. We had a healthy debate on his stand but I ended up failing to convince myself of what I actually thought about it. It still haunts me if its totally fine not to be burdened by the additional responsibility of its effects on nature? All innovations are not separate entities, but part of the gigantic system of nature. Then does the requirement of ensuring its compatibility with nature lie with the innovator? I fail to arrive at an answer to these questions.

      The reason I was reminded of this is a recent discussion I had with a friend of mine. He put forth the two arguments usually encountered in topics of man and his encroachments into nature. One school of thought is that man is damaging nature to irreparable extents. The other, nature has its unique ability to reinvent itself despite the pressure it is put through. Discussing on the topic, we both concurred it is most likely that nature reinvents itself but at the cost of humanity. When nature does reinvent itself to sustain its existence, what might be left of us are 'Humanoids' - "those who cease to live and start to exist."

       Before I could come out from the mood of the chat, I came across this dialogue from the film Apocalypto:

And a Man sat alone, drenched deep in sadness.
And all the animals drew near to him and said: "We do not like to see you so sad…Ask us for whatever you wish and you shall have it."

The Man said, "I want to have good sight."
         The vulture replied, "You shall have mine."

The Man said, "I want to be strong."
        The jaguar said, "You shall be strong like me."

The Man said, "I long to know the secrets of the earth."
        The serpent replied, "I will show them to you."

And so it went with all the animals.
And when the Man had all the gifts they could give, he left..

       Then the owl said to the other animals, "Now the Man knows much and is able to do many things. Suddenly I am afraid."
       The deer said, "The Man has all that he needs. Now his sadness will stop."

       But the owl replied, "No. I saw a hole in the Man deep like a hunger he will never fill. It is what makes him sad and what makes him want. He will go on taking and taking. Until one day the world will say: ‘I am no more and I have nothing left to give.’"

        I still don't have any concrete answer to those questions of mine. But I pray I shall not have to wait for my answers till nature has nothing left to give.