We have asked the wrong question

Our typical question is “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” The first question we should be asking is “Why in every creation story is man created last?”

Recently I was prompted to ask that question when, during a short hike, I saw a large rock nestled between trees. Clearly the trees adapted by growing around the rock, because the rock was there first. Creation stories typically talk about the earth being created (that includes the rocks), then vegetation, then animals, and finally humans. I believe it is because most indigenous peoples saw the dependency of one upon the other. Vegetation needs the rocks and soil to grow. Many of the animals need the vegetation for food. The earth lived in harmony because rocks, vegetation and animals each knew to only take what they needed and leave the rest. Humans were created to maintain that balance, not destroy it. 

Indigenous people knew about balance, only taking what could be used now. Hoarding was not an option. As humans became societies,  fear of scarcity which led to hoarding became the driving force. This resulted in an extractive exploitative society. Examples include: depleting the world’s supply of fossil fuels; some countries having excess food while other countries cannot feed themselves; and polluting the water so much that fish are dying. In no culture, under any religious belief, should this be acceptable.

Instead we should be creating a society focusing on coexisting with G*d’s other creations: rocks, vegetation, and animals. Man was created last to be the caretaker of what came before. A caretaker can use what is there, but also knows how to sustain what was given. Ask yourself, what am I doing to be a sustainer rather than an exploiter?