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Thrive vs. Survive

ZoeHlmn's picture
Submitted by ZoeHlmn on Tue, 11/27/2012 - 3:08pm

Today in class it occured to me: What is the main difference between thriving and surviving. Are we starting to thrive as a society and species? Is that necessarily a good thing?  Are all other species barely holding on because we have managed to wipe them out? Do we as a species really have a purpose in the biocentric model? All these questions were racing through my head during todays discussion and I was not really sure what to think about all of them. I would like to think that we can thrive in the environment without destroying itbut usually when something in nature becomes over-populated nature forces it to be cut down and back to size as to not let it get out of hand. The real question is can we as a species thrive and live in a biocentric circle where something dies in order to give back to nature. Is this possible?

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Hannah's picture

I agree with Rochelle and I

Submitted by Hannah on Wed, 11/28/2012 - 6:20pm.

I agree with Rochelle and I also want to point out that if we keep thriving the way we are now (by living in excess), then the many resources we are using now to thrive may become what we need to survive as our population keeps increasing. In the last 100 years, our population has more than tripled. This rate is not healthy for any species and it means the earth’s resources are becoming more limited. If our population gets to big for the earth (which it will unless we change something soon) than we will most likely be facing even greater moral dilemas because there will not even be enough of the necessary things that humans need.  

 

Rochelle W.'s picture

I think to just survive means

Submitted by Rochelle W. on Tue, 11/27/2012 - 5:48pm.

I think to just survive means to do what you have to do in order to move from one point to another. So for humans survival means doing only what is necessary to live to the next day, or hour even. But thriving means that you use what you have to make something beautiful or meaningful, in addition to survival. For humans I don't think that has to mean living in excess, or infringing upon the right of other species to thrive. In this case life is comparable to a graded art project. If you take the materials you have and do what you have to do just to get a decent grade, that's survival, it's okay, but not ideal. But if you take the materials you have and create something meaningful, something that you're proud of, then you're thriving. And thriving doesn't mean that you have to steal all of your friends' art supplies, or rip up their work when they’re done.

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