#191: What Would It Feel Like To Be The Human Endling?
This goes beyond one’s own death. We are talking end of humanity.
«The saddest word I know in any language is the word endling. It refers to the last individual of a species, final and forlorn, at whose death the species is extinct.»
I hadn’t heard the expression before. And yet, it touched me deeply. Human activity is responsible for the massive loss of biodiversity. The WWF estimates that «at least 10,000 go extinct every year». That is roughly 27 per day. And we, Homo Sapiens, are just 1 of 100 million species on this planet.
When will it be our turn?
What must it feel like to be the last one?
What would hurt more, becoming the endling by losing your last mate or finally getting extinct?
Would any of the remaining millions of species notice?
Would anyone care?
What would be important in that moment?
Would «life on planet earth» go on without you?
What would be your last wish?
Would you cry?
Ivory-billed woodpeckers don’t peck anymore. San Marcos Gambusia stopped swimming. Little Mariana Fruit Bats no longer hang upside down. The list is longer. They all have names. Like you and me.
Who are we to believe that it always hits the others?
