Humans and Viruses: Humans are Viruses
A look at the uncanny similarities between humans and viruses.
Viruses are microscopic particles that infect the cells of a biological organism.1 Humans’ effect on the earth is not much different; humans are an infection to the earth, a growth that is eating away its life. We have a natural instinct to live closely together, reproduce like crazy, and are finding the means to spread. What makes humans different from viruses is that we have the ability to think and feel emotion; we know better than what we instinctively do and feel guilty about it.
Humans naturally live close to one another; we build up cities, pollute, and reproduce. We cluster together in tight living conditions until that place is completely dead, drained of its resources. Humans then leave that place and move on to another. Viruses infect a body clustered together, reproduce, and spread. Viruses do not know better than to destroy the organism they infect. As humans, we know we must preserve the earth, our host cell, because destroying it will only lead to our own destruction. To do this we know we must control population growth. We know we must stop butchering resources at such a dangerous speed. We know we must stop polluting. But we don’t. If viruses knew that killing their host cell will only lead to their own destruction they might cut back on reproduction and let a body create some more healthy cells instead of devouring the life of each one as fast as possible. They also may not exercise this self-control if they could; humans know what is right and yet are giving no thought to the future. Humans are giving no heed to the future because humans do not have to right now. Humans can continue living wastefully without the quality of day-to-day life being compromised but only for so long. Similarly, humans and viruses live destructively until it is too late to make things better. Neither humans nor viruses exercise moderation; both will continue destroying until physically impossible. Humans do not act in lieu of the future, for most of us just want to make a lot of money right now. When a person has a lot of money, conservation is usually viewed as an option rather than a necessity. If a person has the money to drive an SUV or has the money to have many children, he or she feels entitled to do so if they he or she wants to. Humans and viruses work only for their own benefit. To humans, morals are a nice suggestion or an excuse for self-benefit. We are killing the earth faster than ever.
Viruses cannot survive without a host cell, but they will eventually kill their host cell and in turn kill themselves. Humans are polluting and killing the earth; humans too will cause their own demise. Once enough humans have been infected, it can be considered an epidemic. Humans are getting closer and closer to being able to spread to different planets. By the time the earth is completely destroyed, we may have the technology to move to a new healthy planet. Fresh and untainted by the human race, this planet will suffice until it too can no longer survive the human infection
They use the machinery and metabolism of a host cell to produce multiple copies of themselves.
It seems as though the earth’s immune system is trying to rid itself of a deathly illness: humans. When humans get sick with a virus, our bodies heat up to kill the viruses. The fever in our body is not a natural occurrence that happens every so often for no reason at all; it is a direct physical reaction to the virus. Humans are becoming more and more aware of the danger of global warming. When humans were smaller in number, we were consuming less and polluting less and thus the earth was healthier and not so hot. Global warming is a direct response to its human infection. CO2 emissions from humans burning fossil fuels rise into the atmosphere and prevent heat from escaping into space at a normal rate. It works like a car left out in the sun with the windows rolled up: heat can enter but does not escape. The heat that is built up throws off a natural waxing and waning of sheet ice, so sheet ice is now waning and not re-solidifying. Sheet ice works as a natural shield for the earth from UV rays. These rays are reflected off the sheet ice and energy is sent back up into the atmosphere. With less sheet ice, solar rays are hitting the ocean transferring energy to the water. This is what is giving more energy to storms. In the gulf coast humans felt the wrath of the earth in Hurricane Katrina. Humans like viruses, evolve so that we can survive and continue to feed off our host cell. Humans built dams and levies in New Orleans to protect against hurricanes. As New Orleans rebuilds itself, the levies and dams will be built up bigger and stronger than ever. However, there is no denying that the next line of defense from the earth’s immune system will come back at us stronger than ever.
Humans have the ability to feel. We can hate and love others. Humans can feel so much hate towards one another that we will kill and kill and kill; viruses do not have this cannibalistic behavior, which is why viruses are more efficient in killing their host cell. If viruses could feel hate, the virus would have more time in a body because then viruses would be fighting a war on two fronts: the body and eachother.They reproduce and reproduce with no objection to what any other virus is doing. The feeling of hate that viruses don’t have is, sadly, allowing the human race to live in our host cell longer, for it is a form of population control. Humans consistently do what feels good instead of doing what is right. We are hypocrites. It’s hard to know if viruses would reproduce less if they knew it would be beneficial in the long run. When have humans ever done what is best in the long run? Humans can also love whereas viruses cannot. Love that we feel for the earth will call for an end to the human race. Love for the human race will cause the end of the earth. Having love for one another makes us want to keep more people alive and for longer. More people living longer means more resources will be used. The earth will be drained and dead sooner than it can even try to rebuild itself. Like viruses we cannot live either way. If the earth’s immune system is capable of shedding itself of humans then we are gone. If the earth isn’t capable of killing us off we, like viruses, will eventually kill our host cell causing our own demise.
Viruses are not good for the human body. Viruses only make a body sick and then sicker. Viruses have done no good for mankind. If all viruses could be eliminated completely it would have already been done. Humans have done no good for the earth except for attempts made to heal the hurt other humans have caused. The earth would be healthier had humans never existed. Humans are similar to viruses. What makes humans different from viruses is that we have the ability to think and feel emotion; we know better than what we instinctively do and feel guilty about it. Knowing that humans have only caused hurt, I believe the most ethical thing we can do as humans is to stop reproducing.
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4 Responses to “Humans and Viruses: Humans are Viruses”
On January 20, 2009 at 2:59 am
Interesting link up between humans and viruses. I think that some human behaviours are viral (usually the bad ones!)
On April 27, 2009 at 2:56 pm
I too feel as though humans are viruses to this beautiful host we call Earth. Mostly western nations and those others that have adopted western philosophies. I am not trying to start a race war here. Please think critically, western ideaologies are conquer based. The pro-active and model is to subjugate and conquer, consume and steal. This cannot be disputed from a historical vantage point. Where as eastern philosphies and indigenous peoples of the earth are nature based – Westeners refer to this beingness and practice as primative. However, we can now see that technological advancement and convienance is crippling and ironically uncilvilized. We have now the written word at the obliteration and expense of our forests, wild life and oxygen. We have motor vehicles at the expense of natural habitats, atmospheric protection and maintenence and our very own health (obesity, mobility, fatal accidents, hi-jacking etc.) Even with the invention of modern medicine, we have the separation of our oneness from nature and plant-life’s medicinal and healing properties, allowing us to be justified and stoic in our elimination of these important gifts of nature. We have hierachal patriachry and racism (governing creations)at the expense of womanhood and the sensitive necessary balance between the masculine and feminine principles needed for true peace.
I could continue but I hope you get the point now. Im not saying that we go back totally to the old ways but an important balance must be found. Otherwise we ALL face erradication and annihilation and not just those without guns. (wink) Recessive and dominant genes alike will cease to exist.
On October 7, 2009 at 2:04 am
i believe that the viruses do know what they are doing will only kill them. all animals must think, we can leave the soul debate for another page, but what is to say that microscopic life forms do not think, just in a very different way than we do. just as cats or sheep or even spiders clearly think just in a very different way than us. this is because of the way in which they perceive their world.
On November 2, 2009 at 2:04 am
Nathan,
Animals such as cats and sheeps are Eukaryotic or multi-celled complex life forms with physical brains, while on the other hand, Prokaryotic or single celled life forms such as bacteria are not complex and lack the physical brain, thus ruling out them having any thoughts, feelings, and emotions. A virus does not fit into either of these categories, because a virus is not living. While some may provide counter arguments to the last sentence, know this, a machine is able to interact with its environment and so is a virus, but like the virus, a machine is not living. Viruses contain RNA and are only able to reproduce by using the host’s DNA, which they convert into their RNA and thus spread. Humans along with animals, are only able to reproduce by copying their own DNA and having their cells split into other cells. There is more evidence that supports the idea that viruses do not have thoughts, feelings, and emotions. There are few and barely supported ideas that state viruses to be living and with thoughts, etc.
Oyabumi,
Judging by my point of view, I detect fair amounts of bias and one-sided views in your entry. While some of your views of the Western nations seem well supported, you seem to have turned a blind eye to your Eastern nations. From a historian’s standpoint, Eastern nations are more conquered based, than Western nations are. Some examples are Africa’s many individual conquering nations, the Soviet’s having spread their control in China, and all of the Middle East and Europe’s historical wars were all in the name of conquering to gain more resources, land, money, etc. On another note, history shows us that several thousands of years ago, when the human population was much smaller, the earth was much warmer than it is today. How could this be, since humans didn’t have cars, factories, or pollution back then? For those confused, look no further, our most recent ice age was not the first, scientist have found that the earth goes through occasional cycles of cooling down and heating up to keep a preferred biosphere setting. Consequently, this rules out Global Warming as the cause of the earths slight increases in temperature. Oyabumi also left out the fact that Eastern nations such as China, India, Iraq also create pollution, they are also business oriented, they have health problems (obesity in China, Aids in Africa, Sars in Russia, and the list goes on) the Eastern nations have had as much a part in the harming of the environment as the Western nations have had. Today, there are more cases of women’s rights being denied in the Eastern hemisphere, such as women in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa who are treated poorly when compared to the treatment of women in the U.S.
Louie,
Bad behaviors can only be spread if you let them, people who let bad behaviors influence them lack the proper self discipline to put themselves above the situation. Practically, if bad behaviors were viruses, then the only way someone could become infected, would be if they allowed the virus to infect them in the first place. All of this goes the same for good behaviors, you can choose to spread them and you can choose to allow them to affect you or not. People aren’t born with bad or good behaviors, they are all developed and learned from others.
Maxwell,
I would say that you may have come into contact with the Agent Smith character from the Matrix movies. As previously discussed, viruses are not living and humans are living, making them different. Viruses have RNA, humans have DNA, humans are Eukaryotes, viruses are not, this makes them different. Viruses do not build machines, humans do, humans reproduce sexually, viruses are only able to reproduce asexually, these characteristics make them very different. You claim that only humans are viruses, but you forget that humans are mammals, which are animals, so by your statement all animals must be viruses. You also mention humans killing each other and misuse the term “cannibalistic behavior”, which means “to consume the same species as food,” wars are not fought so people can eat other people, they are fought for money, resources, power, etc. In that same time, you mention that humans “kill, kill, and kill” other humans, well viruses “kill, kill, and kill” other viruses all of the time, along with other animals killing animals, and the same goes for bacteria. Your “idea” of “Global Warming” seems to only be based on what the media tells you and the media’s one and only goal is to gain your attention in any way possible, which sometimes requires them to use information that is not well supported or information that is not based on scientific evidence. I also noticed that you used Wikipedia as a source of reference, you do know that ANYONE can edit the information in Wikipedia? For all you know you could have based your evidence from that of an 8 year old, or a delusional pyschopath, or a poorly informed civillian who wanted someone to believe what he believes, by misusing their trust of the internet. In your article, you mention “The heat that is built up throws off a natural waxing and waning of sheet ice, so sheet ice is now waning and not re-solidifying. Sheet ice works as a natural shield for the earth from UV rays.” The earth’s magnetosphere is responsible for deflecting most of the sun’s harmful UV Rays, not sheet ice or any kind of ice. You also mention that Storms are the Earth’s way of fighting off humans, I don’t know about you, but I haven’t ever had any hurricanes used in my stomach to get rid of indegestion, or Tsunami’s created in my head to get rid of headaches, or Tornadoes formed in my chest area to stop acid reflux, as a matter of fact there are no similar symptoms that occur in humans. Its odd how you relate humans to being similar to viruses, but you also relate the earth as being similar to humans, which would mean that the earth is similar to a virus, which is very contradicting to the very key point of your argument. It pays very well to be skeptical and to always research something by using more than one source to support your whole hypothesis. Next time, when posting an argument, don’t let your emotions run through it like a river, always check your source’s validity, and always show both sides of the story, even if the other side doesn’t support your statement.
“Knowledge is Power.” – Sir Francis Bacon
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