In one of my class discussions recently, we focused on the topic of cautiousness in environmental management and how economics plays a role in conservation efforts and preventative actions. As we were discussing this topic, our professor introduced this old idea of the ‘precautionary principle’ which basically embodies the entire idea of trying to save parts of the environment before anything bad has actually happened to them, which is a hard task to do because in order to receive funding and make a strong case for certain conservation efforts, there needs to be a level of certainty that a species or area will be harmed due to certain events. That is something that environmental managers and scientists struggle with daily due to the inconsistency of nature itself.
Because we live on a planet that is always changing, scientists have started to decrease their focus on how humans can alter the environment and instead focus on how the environment and natural systems occur on their own. Nature has the incredible ability to survive as an ecosystem without human interference, so in order to strengthen the systems that we are a part of, researchers are looking to mimic these unbothered areas as best as we can. As we discussed this technique, my professor talked about how success can be found in essentially following in an already successful system’s footsteps. This got me thinking outside of our classroom discussion. If we want to better ourselves, why don’t we look towards those who are already successful? Following God’s path and living as close to Jesus as we can is written out for us in the Bible, and that is the perfect person/plan to mimic. Even in everyday life, I’m sure you see people who use kinder words, have a more consistent gym routine, and share their faith in a more confident way to where you say “I wish I was like that.” Well guess what? You can be! Don’t let envy or jealousy sway you from being better. Mimic those people who you seem to put above yourself (even if you don’t want to admit it).