Easter Island was once a haven for its inhabitants. It provided them with all of their needs, food, shelter, tools, and even the ability to create great works of art. They abused this Eden, and turned it into a disaster, with almost no natural resources. This could very well happen to us, because our earth is the same Eden that Easter Island once was. The people of Easter Island came over to their new land, and recognized that it was ideal for them to settle.
The land was lush; the sea was providing a bounty of fresh fish, and other seafood. The earth was dark brown, and very rich. Everything was just the way it needed to be to support a growing community of people. They began to farm, and cultivate their land. They logged large fern trees so they could harpoon dolphins in deep water. They logged smaller trees to move great boulders, which they were going to sculpt into monuments to their extraordinary civilization.
They were slowly removing all of the natural resources from their land. Generations passed, and the elders of the community were beginning to notice a loss of flora and fauna. They likely saw a dip in the population of the large fern trees, which they used to make their boats. They might have seen the population of sea birds dwindling, because of the over hunting on them. They would notice a small decrease in all that I have mentioned, however for them it would not be much of a concern. It would be a thought present in the back of their minds.
The Essay on Hawaiian Island People Land Islands
Colonialism arose with the expansion of Western societies, as they sought to dominate other peoples while acquiring wealth and otherwise unavailable raw materials, land, and financial opportunity. Colonizing nations will exercise military, political, and economic control over newly acquired territories, while exploiting cultural traditions to the rest of the world with a steady decline in the ...
Eventually, the current populations of the island were without the trees, which they used to make their boats. The soil was losing its great growing powers, because of over cultivation. There were hardly as many seabirds as could be remembered in recent years. Slowly but surely, their way of life was dwindling, like a slowing dying flame. They couldn’t directly see their end, but it was near. When their major population finally did go, it went out with a whimper.
Slowly and quietly they went the way of their beloved fern trees. With the loss of all of the necessary items to sustain their eco system, such as the fern, the trees, which they used to make rope, the birds they used, hunt. All gone now, because they could not replenish them selves in a quickly enough time to meet the needs of the people. This should act as a rude awakening to us.
The planet could be considered a large Easter Island. We have a potentially non-sustainable eco system. If we are not careful, we could go the same way as the inhabitants of the island. It is possible for us to use up everything so there is nothing left for our children to use. If we look at our progression over the last 300 years that we have inhabited North America, we will notice that we have removed many natural resources. Trees in the Northwest, plains in the Midwest, the marshes of Florida, all of which have been devastated by humans in the past centuries.
Our great grandparents did not notice the destruction, nor will I ever be able to actually notice some of it my self. We must rely on what others have remembered and told us. We must conserve what we can now, and make sure that we do not end up like Easter Island. If we prepare, and look at our surroundings, we will be able to prevent this calamity. We will be able to avoid our lifestyle from turning our Eden into a barren wasteland..
