Introduction
Humans are part of the natural eco-system that makes up our planet. Without this eco-system and the ability of Earth to support life, humans might very well cease to exist. As residents of planet Earth, humans have a responsibility to take care of the natural environment. Part of taking care of the environment involves a certain degree of social responsibility when it comes to disposing of waste, using natural resources, and operating businesses. Some aspects of social responsibility are not within the direct control of all humans, but there is the possibility of indirect control. For instance, citizens can boycott a business that chooses to dump toxic waste into nearby …show more content…
flashlight) of a human. The poem does not indicate that the human chooses to kill or harm the deer. In a subtle manner, Dickey is conveying how a human should act towards wild life if and when it is encountered. The environmentally responsible response is to let it be and not destroy it for one’s own needs. This attitude is in direct conflict with the existing system of breeding and killing animals for profit, food, product testing, clothing and decorations. Is humanity’s role to live side by side with animals, without disturbing their natural habitats and existence? It might be impractical to never kill an animal for food, but it is probably within reason to prevent the purposeful mass breeding and slaughter of animals to satisfy human preferences when there are other viable food sources available. In order to accomplish this, the majority of citizens would need to have alternative food sources available and have them be more affordable than meat products. This is currently not the reality in most industrialized nations and would take a massive transformation of the current …show more content…
With bulldozer, earth mower, chainsaw, and dynamite the international timber, mining, and beef industries are all invading our public lands” (Abbey 348). He goes on to say that this destructive activity is for the “sake of short-term profits” and “multimillion-dollar annual salaries for the three-piece-suited gangsters” (Abbey 348). Abbey of course is referring to business leaders in corporations that are only focused on making money and not worried about the consequences of their actions. Simply put America’s free market system and capitalistic structure allows for the destruction of the environment’s resources in favor of making money for those at the top. Business leaders need to not only be cognizant of the long-term consequences of their decisions (both qualitative and quantitative), but make socially responsible decisions with the planet and all of humanity in