Peer Response

In reading Andrew’s blog I wanted to critique once again the impact Takers have had on the planet and what can be done about it. The message that I took away most clearly from Ishmael was the impact the Takers have had on the world. In a very short matter of time (comparative to other time lines) the Takers have managed to deplete many of the Earth’s resources and cause environmental destruction. What is most sickening about this is the fact that the Takers enact this role because they believe it is the role they are meant to play out and that there is no way out of this role. Ishmael in his teachings was trying to make clear to Allen that it is ok to believe or be ignorant of enacting this role as long as the Takers then become enlightened and try and do something to change this. Where the problems begin is in believing that nothing can be done about this behavior and that even when a person becomes enlightened about this destructive behavior they do nothing to change it. Quinn’s novel begs its readers to stop taking for granted the immeasurable gifts we receive from the planet on a daily basis and understand that the rate at which we consume these is having a much greater impact on the planet than we realize.

I do agree with Quinn in that people need to take responsibility for their actions and that humanity has a huge impact (whether good or bad) on the planet. However, where I differ in opinion with Quinn (and agree with Andrew) is that this book only provides one possible explanation for why things are the way they are. My fear with this book is that it seems to make a statement that it is “the way” and the “gospel truth,” without providing other reasons why things have played out in the course of the planet’s history. A person reading this then may place all of their faith and understanding of the world in this one book (which I know has a huge cult-like following.) Also since the book Ishmael is all about questioning and the quest for knowledge, then I feel that I must agree with Andrew and not be too quick to place all of my hope, and trust in this one theory without trying to find other answers to the planet’s problems. I do believe that Quinn provides very plausible theories as to how Mother Culture influences and has allowed humans (the Takers) to cause the destruction they have, but without further investigations it seems that we would again be leaping blindly into one person’s point of view. I think the most important message that Quinn tries to send and what we as readers should take from this experience is that whether Taker or Leaver we are all part of this problem and we all share the planet (not just with human beings, but all life forms) and must recognize that humans are the only ones who act as though the planet was made for us, not us for the planet.