Cut, Baby, Cut

I first became interested in Easter Island (Rapa Nui) years ago after reading “Chariots of the Gods” by Erich von Däniken. His basic hypothesis is that space travelers visited earth and were welcomed as gods by our ancient ancestors. To Däniken’s way of thinking, this explains many of the unexplainable ancient technologies, past marvels and religious stories. Easter Island was one example sighted in his book, specifically the large monolithic statues called “moai”. According to Däniken, creating and transporting such massive statues would have been outside the intellectual or physical scope of primitive islanders. While most scientists and historians reject Däniken’s ideas, his book captured my imagination and made me aware of Easter Island.

Easter Island is the most isolated habitable piece of land in the world. It lies in the Pacific Ocean more than 2,000 miles west of South America. According to scientists, when its inhabitants first arrived around 400 AD, they must have thought they landed in paradise. The mild climate, fertile soil, rich vegetation and forests would have provided all the resources needed to build homes, canoes (for fishing), fuel for fire, making rope, weapons, thatching, and so on. Over time these islanders developed a complex social structure, centralized government and religious practices… and at some point, they began creating statues.

But by the time Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen discovered the island in 1722 on Easter day (hence its name), it was far from a paradise. There wasn’t a tree or bush standing higher than ten feet tall. The native animals had vanished and the islanders were raising chickens to survive. According to Roggeveen and others who followed him, these famished natives certainly weren’t capable of producing and moving such massive statues. So what happened on Easter Island? There are many theories. Not only about why and how these statues were made… but what happened to the islanders who made them… and what happened to their paradise?

According to Jared Diamond (Professor of Geography and Physiology at UCLA), “…they began erecting stone statues on platforms, like the ones their Polynesian forebears had carved. With passing years, the statues and platforms became larger and larger, and the statues began sporting ten-ton red crowns—probably in an escalating spiral of one-upmanship, as rival clans tried to surpass each other with shows of wealth and power.”

“In just a few centuries, the people of Easter Island wiped out their forest, drove their plants and animals to extinction, and saw their complex society spiral into chaos and cannibalism.”

Read Diamond’s Article: http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/24/042.html

While some question Diamond’s hypothesis, few dismiss it. Whether he is 100% right isn’t the point. The point is that his hypothesis has merit… it provides insight and serves as a warning. When we destroy ecosystems and deplete natural resources, we endanger our lives and the lives of future generations.

Things rarely happen overnight. There are turning and tipping points along the way. There are always those in society who support the status quo and those who challenge it. No doubt some islanders downplayed the situation and embraced the unsustainable norm. I can imagine them chanting “Cut, Baby, Cut” and mocking those who were concerned over the destruction, while dismissing those brave heroic souls who were searching for alternative solutions.

What if the situation had been acknowledged? What if this society had embraced creativity and innovation? What if rather than doing the same thing over and over… they had tried something new? What if the natural resources had been protected? What if they had conserved resources and worked together toward finding healthy sustainable solutions? What if these people had embraced change? What if they recognized they were part of the ecosystem… not superior to it? Countless questions like these fill my head and I realize they not only apply to Easter Islanders… but to you and me and our world today.

As barrels of oil shoot into the Gulf of Mexico and destroy our environment, some Americans are still chanting, “Drill, Baby, Drill” and mocking those who object to offshore drilling. Many of those supporting this chant fear change and consider innovation and alternative thinking a threat. To me these people are similar to the islanders who were more focused on statues than progress or survival. Instead of using their creative capacity to find sustainable solutions for the greater good, they blindly kowtowed to the power that be. In the case of the islanders, it was the chiefs, bureaucrats and priests. In the case of these Americans, it’s politicians, special interest groups, and big business.

What Erich von Däniken overlooked is man’s ability to create and innovate. This ability should never be dismissed. Creativity is our most powerful asset. Without this capacity we wouldn’t have survived… let alone progressed to where we are today. We don’t need visiting aliens’ “Chariots of the Gods” to teach and guide us… we already have the most powerful force in the universe—creativity. The question is: How will we use it? We can continue destroying our planet by building bigger and bigger statues… or we can work together and create positive change. The choice is ours… where do you stand?

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