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| Illustrations by Willem van der Merwe |
A long time ago, the forest extended everywhere, in all directions, a dense canopy of trees.
A majestic sight, it was truly the land of the free.
Then along came a group of settlers who cut a path inland from the sea.
Progress
More boats arrived bringing throngs of people.
We should worship inside a church with a steeple.
Let’s harvest some wood from this wild place and build something regal.
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The colonists multiplied and hungry villagers needed a bigger farm.
But man was so smart it was no cause for alarm.
We’ll clear another plot for planting right over here. What could be the harm?
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Our wilderness is disappearing, they lamented. The beautiful landscape has turned gritty.
On one thing they all could agree. This state of affairs was indeed a pity.
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Let’s set aside a wooded sanctuary where all God’s creatures can roam as they please.
We’ve bulldozed enough in search of opportunity.
Now we must live in harmony.
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For a time, birds chirped, deer frolicked, and wolves howled.
Until one day a thick, black liquid bubbled up from the park's ground.
It was a discovery so profound.
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Such a stroke of good fortune to power our machines.
Our consumption borders on obscene.
But man is the rightful king of beasts and should reign supreme.
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We’ll chop a few more to capitalize on our good luck.
Letting our unbridled greed run amuck.
So what if we break our promise as long as we make a buck?
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With this feeble logic, our actions were justified.
Willingly, we carried out a campaign of genocide.
Ignorant to the fact it was actually suicide.
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And so the pattern repeated.
Soon, every last tree had been defeated.
In this barren wasteland, our home overheated.
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The end should come as no great surprise.
Upending nature’s delicate balance, how did we think we would survive?
In this universe of infinite connections, we caused our own demise.
Progress, finally
