Do you share the optimism of Edward O Wilson?

Except for two possibilities (one natural, one man-made) life is in no danger of premature extinction on this planet. The human species certainly is, as are a big portion of our fellow species, but life will be here and will continue to be here with us or without us.A Star-eating Black Hole or roaming Stellar Rogue, something coming in to disrupt this stellar system is one possible scenario to the premature end of life on this planet (not counting the death of our own star which I do not consider a premature end).The other is a nano-tech nightmare all too possible in the not-too-distant future.I’ve always loved the “green” sentiments of “Save The Planet” and “Save Life on Earth.”The planet is doing just fine, thank you, and life is perking along just as it has for the last 3.75 +- billion years. Baring the nightmare scenario above (which is presently not within our capabilities) there is nothing we can do to end life on this planet. The most damage we can do is to the ecosystem which contains ourselves causing a lot of extinctions including our own, but, frankly, that's just a small bump in the road to the rest of life. Edited by AZPaul3, : A little clearer statement would be good, me thinks.Edited by AZPaul3, : I gota stop re-doing this. Help me. Please!

All agreed. But the catchphrases and the bumper stickers and the view we give our young people are bogus. The problem is we divert attention from the real issue. Whales, rain forests and global warming are but threads in a tapestry; one that we are woven into. While important in addressing the main issue this stuff is fluff that does not focus on the issue at hand. Kids think whales are in danger and have been told this is not good but the reinforcement of “why” is left out.Unless we are upfront, honest and adamant about it the heart gets diverted into (albeit important) minutia. The real drive needs to be stated clearly and precisely so there is no mistake about what is at issue here. The issue is not “Save The Dolphins” or “Save The Snail Darter” or “Save The Majestic Bald Eagle.” The issue here is “Save The Humans.”