For my outside reading project, I am researching the affects of overpopulation; reading books that explore the consequences of overpopulation through insight into dystopian worlds. My reason for choosing this topic is based mostly, if not entirely out of fear. Is no secret that the human population has grown to incredible numbers in the recent years, significantly going up ever since the technological boom of the industrial revolution. Of course what once a glorious time in human history, has become a serious issue for the sustainability of the planet and the human race.
One of the biggest issues I personally see with the overpopulation epidemic is the way we address the problem in our society; we go to extreme ends to try and fix our way of living to meet the needs of the growing population; while certainly we ought to continue promote sustainability, we will only be prolonging our demise if the population continues to grow. While the modern lifestyle contributes to a great use of resources and pollution, the bigger issue lies in our sheer numbers. Just think that if the Earth’s population were to be cut down 50%, our planet could sustain the population by natural means. However with modern medicine and technology, humans are being born far more frequently than they are dying; this poses a serious problem. In order to realistically go about saving the planet, we need to rethink the way we view the problem. Specifically we need to significantly decrease the population instead of trying so hard to maintain and build on the amount of people we have now.
This Untitled painting by artist H.R. Martin serves to illuminate a perspective on humanity that is much needed if we are to decrease the population. So often babies are viewed as these cute, wonderful gifts of joy; unfortunately we cannot afford to think like this anymore. Every infant born is another leech to resources and contributor to pollution. At a certain point, additional human beings stop enhancing the planet and serve only to destroy it, leading a poor quality of life in the process. While not at this point yet, I believe it will be an issue in the coming future. The babies portrayed in this painting appear to be cramped in some sort of factory-like arrangement. Their features are twisted and distressed; looking as though they are in severe pain. Some of them lack eyes and appear as if they might be dead. This along with the black and white color scheme creates an incredibly disturbing and haunting glimpse into a possible dystopian future. For me, the painting communicates a future in which newborn babies are tossed away in mass landfills for they live in a world where they’re lives cannot be supported. Very exaggerated and excessively depressing, this painting certainly manages to ensue fear in the minds of viewers.
One of the biggest issues I personally see with the overpopulation epidemic is the way we address the problem in our society; we go to extreme ends to try and fix our way of living to meet the needs of the growing population; while certainly we ought to continue promote sustainability, we will only be prolonging our demise if the population continues to grow. While the modern lifestyle contributes to a great use of resources and pollution, the bigger issue lies in our sheer numbers. Just think that if the Earth’s population were to be cut down 50%, our planet could sustain the population by natural means. However with modern medicine and technology, humans are being born far more frequently than they are dying; this poses a serious problem. In order to realistically go about saving the planet, we need to rethink the way we view the problem. Specifically we need to significantly decrease the population instead of trying so hard to maintain and build on the amount of people we have now.
This Untitled painting by artist H.R. Martin serves to illuminate a perspective on humanity that is much needed if we are to decrease the population. So often babies are viewed as these cute, wonderful gifts of joy; unfortunately we cannot afford to think like this anymore. Every infant born is another leech to resources and contributor to pollution. At a certain point, additional human beings stop enhancing the planet and serve only to destroy it, leading a poor quality of life in the process. While not at this point yet, I believe it will be an issue in the coming future. The babies portrayed in this painting appear to be cramped in some sort of factory-like arrangement. Their features are twisted and distressed; looking as though they are in severe pain. Some of them lack eyes and appear as if they might be dead. This along with the black and white color scheme creates an incredibly disturbing and haunting glimpse into a possible dystopian future. For me, the painting communicates a future in which newborn babies are tossed away in mass landfills for they live in a world where they’re lives cannot be supported. Very exaggerated and excessively depressing, this painting certainly manages to ensue fear in the minds of viewers.