Essay

Daniel Mr. Wimmer Honors Global Period 3 1/7/10

=The human experience, no matter where you live, is relatively the same.=

In some ways, the human experience is relatively the same, no matter where you live, but sometimes, not so much. The environment can definitely impact the human experience in many aspects of one's life; however, no matter what, humans will always attempt to grow socially, and want to gain new skills. No two people experience the exact same events. Every culture is based around these basic ideas, and every person wishes to find their place of belonging. Sometimes, the environment can make that challenging to do. In terms of what a person sees, the human experience can seem very different at times. Pollution, disaster, lack of basic needs, and human-created environmental issues like overpopulation all create barriers from everyone living the same life, but all contribute in some way to the human experience.

Found in most countries countries around the world, pollution is an uncontrollable, growing issue. In Peru, pollution has reached a point where it is hazardous to a human's health to simply walk around town. Also, drinking water is constantly being contaminated in many parts of the world. In China, for instance, there was a large oil spill in the Songhua River, which poisoned the drinking water. It is extremely difficult to accomplish your own goals when you aren’t healthy. Pollution restrains people from doing what they need to do, and can alter the way people live their lives.

Lack of basic needs can be found in many areas, too. As mentioned in the previous paragraph, drinkable water is a large problem, especially in areas that are dry regions to begin with, like Afghanistan. In the Republic of South Africa, many people are forced to drink unclean water, or not drink any. In both South Africa and Afghanistan, many are left without much food or money because of the country's food crisis. Drought is capable of bringing all of these needs upon people, and many areas are highly prone to it. This can prevent the individual, and the country (as a whole) from growing and developing.

Recently, more and more, the logging industry has been growing and expanding quickly. Some is set aside to clear land for houses, like in South Africa, and some is purely for profit. As mentioned in the "Planting Trees for Climate Adaptation" article from Peru, now, some of these companies are required to plant more trees (more than 40 billion). Cutting trees clears the way for farmland, where the farmers can work the ground to possibly produce more than the trees were before. This deforestation is on a global scale, and most people aren't ready to give it up, mostly for financial reasons.

In conclusion, there are many environmental issues all over the world, and almost all occur in many countries, not just one. The human experience is making choices about what to do with your life. From farming, to creating energy, to fishing, to logging, each of these are ways people have chosen to spend (most likely) the rest of their lives. That's what the human experience really is-the ability to make your own choices, lead your own life, and experience new things. People interact with each other and the earth (the environment). These interactions and experiences are what make up the human experience.