1

Man and His Environment

Introduction

Man on the last century has always been caught destroying the environment,

abusing it for his own good only. Today, world leaders have begun to plan and to

promote a new world with order and a world that will still be present in the next

generations to come. According to a book written by Anestēs G. Keselopoulos he said

that “The harmony in relations between man and creation is disrupted by man himself.” 1
1
So before moving to a deeper discussion of man and his relation to the environment,

let us see first how man and his environment got along since the very beginning of the

creation. So that we will be able to know the reasons why man is so harsh with the

environment and to find or suggest some ways on how to preserve and protect mother

earth.

There is a Bible verse that goes this way, “And the Lord God formed man of the

dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a

living soul.”2 From this verse and the whole of Genesis, God created man, Adam and

Eve, according to his image and his likeness. So man is good in nature. Among all the

creation of God, man is the only creature given the power to reason out. That is why;

man’s role here on earth is to be a steward among God’s creation. Man is also

considered as the one that God values most. And with this value, he gave authority to

man over all the things he created. So God wanted man to be a steward of his creation.

But man today is the main eradicator of the environment. Maybe we can consider that

1
Man and the environment: a study of St. Symeon the New Theologia - Anestēs G. Keselopoulos
2
Genesis 2:7
 2

the first disruption to nature occurs during the creation when God said, “Of every tree of

the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,

though shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely

die.”3With that scene in the Bible it showed how man disobeyed God’s will and so there

cause a disruption between the relationship of man and creation.

Now we go to man through the different times in the history, starting of course in

the pre-historic times when there is no evidence of man’s destruction and abuses to

nature. Man in the pre-historic period was considered as nomads. This group of people,

usually comprises 20-30 people, have no permanent homes. That is why; they travel

from one place to another to find for food supplies and animals to hunt.

But when man finally discovered agriculture and mastered the use of fire, they

now started to multiply and grew a step closer to civilization by changing his

environment in a way that will best suit him. They now became a permanent settler and

learn how to plant for food, to cattle and tame wild animals which they later use as a

source of food. Also, when the population of man grew, their needs also grew and it

leads to a consumption of more resources. “The discovery of agriculture was a most

important event in the history of mankind. With the discovery, indeed, begins the story

of modern civilization. The farmers had to have laws to protect individuals and their

possessions. These laws had to be enforced.”4

During the transition of period to another period, the needs of man really

changes. And that is very observable at our present times. Because of the emergence

3
Genesis 2:16-17
4
Footprints of Early Man - Donald MacKenzie
 3

of technology, man became lazy and uses this various technology to abuse the

environment. I read an essay that goes this way, “Man is an integral part of the

environment, yet he is the arch-enemy of it. For centuries man has been thriving on its

generosity. But in his quest to make life very simpler and more luxurious,, he has turned

a blind eye to the damage caused to the environment. Our greed to get the most out of

everything has made us contemptuously neglect the environment, although we all know

that our very existence depends on it.” 5 Because we became so dependent to

technology, we already forgotten about our mission of taking good care the creation of

God. Also at our present time, there is a larger population than before and we need

more resources to fill in our daily needs, so the abuse now comes. When we say abuse,

we get more than of something from what we really need and it causes the imbalance in

nature.

Earth’s climate has changed naturally from time to time depending on the amount

of energy that the planet received from the sun. But that was before. Today another

factor is affecting our climate, and that is man. Man’s relation with environment is slowly

fading because of man’s greediness. With this acts of man, there have observable

results and effects in our environment.

One of the world’s global issues of today is the Global Warming - caused by the

unusually rapid increase in Earth’s average surface temperature over the past century

primarily due to the greenhouse gases released by people burning fossil fuels. 6 Earth’s

climate has changed naturally from time to time depending on the amount of energy that

5
http://www.shvoong.com/internet-and-technologies/computers/1687029-man-technology/
6
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/GlobalWarming/
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the planet received from the sun. But that was before. Today another factor is affecting

our climate, and that is man.

Global warming is just one of the perils of pollution caused by man, another peril

is the greenhouse effect - is the rise in temperature that the Earth experiences because

certain gases in the atmosphere(water vapor, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide,

and methane, for example) trap energy from the sun. Without these gases, heat would

escape back into space and Earth’s average temperature would be about 60ºF colder.

Because of how they warm our world, these gases are referred to as greenhouse

gases.7 These Greenhouse gases are important in making the Earth warm enough so

that man can survive. But when it goes too strong it will turn the planet warmer causing

some problems to the animals, plants and to us humans. These are things that they

called as the wrath of nature. Because of man’s inhumane deeds, the nature will always

be ready to perish human. Other effects are, floods, landslides, and some other

catastrophic events.

But there is a suggestion on how to alter or prevent this wrath of nature this is

called as the Three R’s. The Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle of the environment. Reduce

– reducing the amount of waste you produce is the best way to help the environment. 8

Example of this is to save energy by turning off lights that you are not using or save

water by turning off the faucet while you brush your teeth.

7
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/kids/greenhouse.html

8
http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0775891.html
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Reuse – instead of throwing things away, try to find ways to use them again. 9 For

example, plastic containers and reusable lunch bags are great ways to take your lunch

to school without creating waste, use all writing paper on both sides and store food in

reusable plastic containers. Recycle – recycled items are put through a process that

makes it possible to create new products out of the materials from the old ones. 10

Conclusion

Man’s relationship with the rest of the creation was fatally wounded by man

himself. So we need to reconcile with our environment. “Man is not only the creator of

technology, but there is also a process through which man becomes dependant on

technology and is formed by it.”11 So as a true human person, we must not depend all

the time with technology because we do not notice that we are already destroying the

nature. We use technology to make our life easier, but we also need a superior

intelligence in order to maintain equilibrium between natures.

9
Ibid.
10
Ibid.
11
An essay on how man is destroying the Environment - by Adit Suneja
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Sources

1. http://books.google.com.ph/books?
id=cSiKb3r0kQC&pg=PA93&lpg=PA93&dq=study+about+man+abusing+environme
nt&source=bl&ots=36D21FZEgd&sig=XoRrOTcWHfpJq97F5uW0qych0f4&hl=tl&ei=
NzWvTKe2IILJcdm8zLAN&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CCs
Q6AEwAw#v=onepage&q&f=false - Man and the environment: a study of St.
Symeon the New Theologia - Anestēs G. Keselopoulos

2. http://books.google.com.ph/books?
id=V88tkV0ubJMC&pg=PA88&lpg=PA88&dq=man+and+the+discovery+of+agricultu
re&source=bl&ots=zbKWMW2W0n&sig=EsLyRl2SO7YEBxyH2oSQozH-
qe0&hl=tl&ei=2jevTID-
GsHBccHrpL4N&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBMQ6AEwAA
#v=onepage&q=man%20and%20the%20discovery%20of%20agriculture&f=false -
Footprints of Early Man - Donald MacKenzie

3. http://www.shvoong.com/internet-and-technologies/computers/1687029-man-
technology/
4. http://www.rajputbrotherhood.com/knowledge-hub/essay/an-essay-on-how-man-is-
destroying-the-environment-by-adit-suneja.html - An essay on how man is
destroying the Environment - by Adit Suneja

5. http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/GlobalWarming/

6. http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/kids/greenhouse.html

7. http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0775891.html
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The Worldly World

Introduction

On the Earth’s surface, we travelled through its varied natural regions, the

wonderful landscapes, vegetations, breath-taking sceneries and the different living

creatures. This world is indeed a place suitable for humans to live and God is really a

good designer of the world. God perfectly put everything in the perfect and right place

which is very unquestionable, for he is really powerful to do this. Our world is really a

perfect place to live in, so as we go deeper, I wanted to discuss some of the places and

regions that made our planet to be called as a worldly world.

First on the list of the reasons why I considered our planet a worldly world is the

seven wonders of the ancient world. Among all the seven wonders, only the Pyramids of

Egypt stands until today. And whose function is a Tomb for Pharoah Khufu. “The

pyramid was built in steps, battlement-wise, as it is called, or, according to others, altar-

wise. After laying the stones for the base, they raised the remaining stones to their

places by means of machines formed of short wooden planks. The first machine raised

them from the ground to the top of the first step. On this there was another machine,

which received the stone upon its arrival, and conveyed it to the second step, whence a

third machine advanced it still higher. Either they had as many machines as there were
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steps in the pyramid, or possibly they had but a single machine, which, being easily

moved, was transferred from tier to tier as the stone rose - both accounts are given, and

therefore I mention both.” 12

It is also included in this wonder the Hanging Gardens of Babylon which is

located on what it is now Iraq. Some stories indicate the Hanging Gardens towered

hundreds of feet into the air, but archaeological explorations indicate a more modest,

but still impressive, height. 13 And . "In addition to its size, Babylon surpasses in splendor

any city in the known world."14

The gold and ivory statue of Zeus at Olympia is also in the list and it was

sculpted by Phidias in the fifth century B.C.. , "...although the temple itself is very large,

the sculptor is criticized for not having appreciated the correct proportions. He has

depicted Zeus seated, but with the head almost touching the ceiling, so that we have
15
the impression that if Zeus moved to stand up he would unroof the temple..."

Joining the list is the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus; this was built in honour of

the goddess Artemis. There is no doubt that the temple was indeed magnificent. "I have

seen the walls and Hanging Gardens of ancient Babylon, "the statue of Olympian Zeus,

the Colossus of Rhodes, and the mighty work of the high Pyramids and the tomb of

Mausolus. But when I saw the temple at Ephesus rising to the clouds, all this other
16
wonders were put in the shade."

12
http://www.unmuseum.org
13
Lee Krystek, 1998
14
Herodotus
15
Strabo
16
Philon of Byzantium
 9

Another wonder is the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus which is a huge above-

ground tomb built by Queen Artemisia in memory of his husband. The tomb was erected

on a hill overlooking the city IN Bodrum, Turkey. The whole structure sat in an enclosed

courtyard. At the center of the courtyard was a stone platform on which the tomb itself

sat.17

The sixth wonder is the Colossus of Rhodes; this bronze statue of Helios was sculpted

by Chares. Travelers to New York City harbor see a marvelous sight. Standing on a

small island in the harbor is an immense statue of a robed woman, holding a book and

lifting a torch to the sky. The statue measures almost one-hundred and twenty feet from

foot to crown. It is sometimes referred to as the "Modern Colossus," but more often

called the Statue of Liberty. 18

Lastly, the Pharos19 of Alexandria was built in the 3rd century B.C. off the coast of

Egypt. The story of the Pharos starts with the founding of the city of Alexandria by the

Macedonian conqueror Alexander the Great in 332 B.C.. 20

There are also some famous structures built in our planet like the Colosseum of

Rome which is considered as the largest and most famous of the Roman

amphitheatres. The Pantheon is also in for the list and it has serve as a place of worship

at Rome. There is also the so-called Dome of the Rock located in Jerusalem which is a

site important to Muslims, Christians and Jews. The Great Wall of China is the most

famous structure of China and the only human structure that can be seen from orbit. We

17
http://www.unmuseum.org
18
Ibid.
19
Lighthouse
20
http://www.unmuseum.org
 10

can also include the Manchu Pichu, an Inca fortress in the Andes Mountains of Peru.

The Pantheon is also in for the list and it has serve as a place of worship at Rome.

There is also the Angkor Wat of Cambodia, a 12 th century temples surrounded by

a moat and have walls decorated with sculpture. The Eiffel Tower in Paris was built in

1889. The Parthenon of Greece is also famous, built on the Acropolis in Athens and

was a chief temple to the goddess Athena.

Another reason why I consider this planet as a worldly world is the different

holidays celebrated all over the world. The most famous of these holidays is Christmas

Day when the whole world celebrates the birth of Jesus. Another famous one is the New

Year’s Day, wherein it originated in the Roman times, when sacrifices were offered to

Janus. We also celebrate our county’s own independence day. Another famous holiday

is celebrated between lovers, celebrated with candy, cards and other tokens of love; this

is refer to as the Valentine’s day.

There is also the so-called father’s day and mother’s day, on this day we honour

fathers and mothers. Another common holiday to all nations and this is the Halloween,

commonly celebrated with jack-o-lanterns, costumes, trick-or-treats, and telling some

spooky stories. Indeed, with these holidays, we and other nations can show their culture

to others and it makes our lives more colourful.

We now proceed to the different biomes of the world and the different animals

and plants that live there. The first of this is the Deciduous Forest found in the mild-

temperate zones of the Northern Hemisphere. The plants commonly found there are

oaks and maple tree and animals like racoons and rabbits. Coniferous Forest is south of
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the Arctic Tundra. The common animals found there are moose and red fox and plants

like spruce and hemlock.

Arctic Tundra is a cold, treeless area of low, swampy plains in the far north

around the Arctic Ocean. The common animals found here are polar bears and gray

wolves and plants like small shrubs and lichens. Grasslands are places with hot, dry,

climate that are perfect for growing food and includes a grassy fields. The common

animals found are giraffe and zebra and plants like cereal crops.

Mountains are biomes that are cold and windy. The higher the mountains, the

colder and windier the environment is. Some mountain animals that adapted to the cold

environment are mountain goat, bighorn sheep and puma. Rain Forest at least receives

70 inches of rain each year. The combination of heat and moisture makes this place a

perfect environment for plants and animals. Some of the animals are jaguar and sloth

and plants like bamboo and banana.

Conclusion

Our planet is also a home for different human race, a big melting pot of people

with different ethnicities and culture. And I admire those places with different and

various wonders because they are really breath-taking sceneries. And I wish someday

to step on those landmarks and be proud. To end the discussion, I would like to say that

we human must not destroy this wonders and learn to preserve it for the future

generations.
 12

Sources

1. http://www.world-mysteries.com/mpl_2_1.htm

2. http://www.hillmanwonders.com/coliseum_of_rome_tidbits/coliseum_of_rome_tid

bits.htm

3. http://www.unmuseum.org

4. Time for Kids ALMANAC 2007

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Me, Myself and the History

Introduction

Four….Three…Two..One. Two years more before I graduate and be included in

the history of BSE graduates of this institution. I will not be just a simple teacher; rather I

will be a “History” major teacher. I never wanted to be a teacher before, but because of

history subjects, I’ve been pulled to take up education. “History is boring” as they said,

but I want to change that notion to, “History is fun” to be able for other people to truly

appreciate our own history.

I’m Christian, a second year BSE History major. I wanted to be part of our

country’s history, but how? I could be a politician, a celebrity or someone who is famous

enough to be considered as a person of the history. That is what I wanted before, but I

changed my mind. Being part of the history requires too many works and too many

sacrifices. Nevertheless, I figured out a way wherein I can be remembered, not by our

country’s history but to be remembered by my students in the form of our subject

matter, which is HISTORY.

Why am I taking up History? I still don’t what is the reason but I am enjoying it.

Maybe because I want to learn more or I wanted to find something. History is very

important to us because it helps us to know who we really are. Many people are so in to

politics today, they always give opinions to social issues even though they do not know
 14

what are the things discussed in the issues. That is why we as teachers need to

educate them regarding in this issues.

History confronts a student with worlds, times, places, and cultures in ways

he/she never before considered. History enables students to learn about their world in

light of the past. In an ever-changing world, understanding history brings a sense of the

complexity and contingency of events. It provides students with rich and diverse

perspectives. History informs us about the prevalence of unintended consequences. 21

So why study History? First we need to study history because of our country. As

a part of a nation we need to study our own history to be able for us to be called as a

resident or a member of that nation. Sometimes it is sad to say that there are many

foreign people, who know our history better than us, and it is shameful because they are

not the main people of this nation, we are. As a History teacher, I want my students to

have a better understanding of our history. Maybe after knowing our own history, we

can already learn the history of other nations.

Another reason is that, we study history to be able to understand the different

social related issues in our country like issues in politics, in economy and etc. These

issues are important and man is called to partake to this issues. We study history so

that we will not make the same mistakes over and over again.

Here are some other reasons to study history. First, by studying the different ways

that other cultures live, we can learn new and better ways for our culture to live. Second

21
http://www.as.uky.edu/academics/departments_programs/History/History/WhereCan/Pages/default.aspx
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by studying why people fight and have wars, we can try to prevent fighting and end war.

Third, by studying how things have already been done, we can try new and better ways

of doing things. Fourth, by studying other beliefs, we can learn to appreciate every

person's ideas and to value our own opinions. Lastly, by studying how people have

adapted to different environments on Earth, we can plan how to adapt to new

environments, and maybe eventually plan how to survive off planet. 22

Examples of social issues are: Poverty High, Unemployment Levels, High Crime

Rates, and Low Mortality Rates. That is why sometimes or always, the church is taking

part with this kind of issues. But even during the Spanish regime there is already the so-

called church-state relation. And in our present days, we could still see how the church

is sometimes opposing the administration because of the laws that they think were not

moral. Example of these most talked-about issues is about the use contraceptives. The

church strongly disagree with the ratification of this law because they believe that it is

wrong, it is not according to the teachings and laws of God and they are hindering a

child from being born. But according to the administration, they are not breaking the

teachings of the church.

Another social issue is poverty and I read an article that goes this way:

ADDRESSING widespread poverty is the single most important policy challenge facing

the Philippines. Not only is poverty high compared with other countries in East and

Southeast Asia, but also its reduction is so slow that the country has become the basket

case in the region.

22
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/3_reasons_why_do_we_need_to_study_history
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Although poverty is recognized to be a multidimensional concept, income poverty in the

Philippines is pervasive. Thus, the bulk of the income poor is likely to be also deprived

in other dimensions such as educational achievement and good health.

Hence, we define the poor as those whose incomes fall below a predetermined income

threshold. In comparing poverty across countries, it is common to use a fixed norm or

poverty line (for example, the $1 a day per person, in purchasing power parity,

employed by the World Bank).23

Poverty is the most common problems of our society today and because of

poverty there are more problems that branch out from it when it gets worst. When there

is poverty, there is a higher crime rate because people tend to make illegal things just to

earn money for their living. Also when there is poverty, there is a lower morality because

other people tend to sell their bodies and organs just to have money. Other effects of

poverty are low mortality because many concentrated on breeding humans. Lastly,

when there is unemployment there is poverty.

So what if I study history? What will I get from it? What skills does studying

history develop? The following are some things that can be develop when you take

history. Ones competence in research – using facts, ideas and arguments, we learn to

synthesize large and diverse quantities of information. Their will be proficiency in

communicating effectively in oral and written presentations and our knowledge and

evaluation of past and present incidents and persons will enhance. Our aptitudes to

23
http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/talkofthetown/view/20080216-119353/Poverty-reduction-What-we-
know-and-dont-know
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formulate and deliver persuasive arguments develop and we learn to assemble, choose

and translate information. Lastly, we learn the ability to form assumptions from study.24

Conclusion

So as a future History teacher, I want to change the wrong notions of people

about our own history. I will educate them in a proper way and introduce to them

properly about our history so that the nationality in them will ignite. I want them to know

the importance of the events that had happened in our history so that the next future

generations will not be ignorant when asked about this kind of questions.

There are so many people, political leaders and historical icons that

became famous during their times in this world. I may not be like them in intelligence

and leadership but it is okay for me to be considered by my students in the future as an

influential person during their life in high school.

24
http://www.as.uky.edu/academics/departments_programs/History/History/WhereCan/Pages/default.aspx
 18

Sources

1. http://countrystudies.us/philippines/88.htm

2. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/3_reasons_why_do_we_need_to_study_history

3. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_examples_of_social_issues_and_what_

makes_them_social_issues

4. http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/talkofthetown/view/20080216-

119353/Poverty-reduction-What-we-know-and-dont-know

5. http://www.as.uky.edu/academics/departments_programs/History/History/Wh

ereCan/Pages/default.aspx