Bacteria
Yesterday, thousands of my friends died. I had lived with them, spent my days and nights with them. They had supported me, and when they died I didn’t even pause to remember them, I just went on with my daily life as if nothing had changed. Yes, I am guilty. I am guilty of taking bacteria for granted.
Day and night, these microorganisms have worked their little flagellum off, to support this entire earth. They are found from the tops of the highest mountains all the way down to the bottoms of the deepest oceans, where they are busy supporting ecosystems all across the earth. They are the ones doing the dirty work – decomposing. The next time you crinkle your nose to a dead opossum lying in the road, think of those bacteria who are deep inside its bloody intestines, busy taking care of business. These bacteria are the true clean-up crew, not the person who shovels the opossum off to the bushes on the side of the road. From the broken mess of opossum guts, these bacteria digest and release many rich nutrients back into the environment to be reused so the rest of the organisms on this earth can continue to survive and thrive. However, bacteria are not only found in the dirty remains of decomposition. Part bacteria’s greatness is due to their diversity and ability to take on a wide variety of tasks in different environments. Every time I sink my teeth into a gooey pb & j, it is with the trust that bacteria helpers will be there for me as the processed nutrients works their way through my digestive system. These bacteria have the task of sorting through this mess to find and break down each and every of the billions of nutrient molecules, until they are small enough for my body to absorb and put to use.
I cannot deny that through all of the various types of bacteria with different roles in this world, that there are some bacteria who are sickening and destructive. It is true that bacteria do cause such diseases as cholera, tuberculosis, gonorrhea, and strep throat. But these bacteria represent only a tiny proportion of the entire earth’s bacteria population, and it is an embarrassment to the human race that we live in fear due to the negative stereotype these few measly pathogenic bacteria have managed to perpetuate. People use all kinds of devastating methods to destroy these pathogenic bacteria, without even pausing to consider the many innocent bacteria they are slaughtering each time they pop an antibiotic pill, or wash their hands with antibacterial soap. The massive destruction one drop of soap can cause to an innocent bacteria population is comparable to the destruction a nuke being detonated in Times Square would create. These poor bacteria that are only trying to find a home and support their family are faced with these antibacterial weapons of mass destruction on a regular basis, without any hope for a better future. They have no way to protect themselves or fight back, they have nobody to turn to for help, no government, no federal emergency relief – nothing.
So why do we treat these innocent bacteria so terribly? Perhaps people consider bacteria as worthless organisms, which can hardly be considered living at all. However, just because they are small and simple organisms doesn’t mean they are any lesser of a form of life then us humans. In fact, according to the theory of evolution, bacteria was the first form of life on this earth, and it was from these tiny bacteria cells that humans were eventually created. These bacteria are our ancestors. We have these bacteria to thank for our life and without them we could never be the complex and intelligent humans that we are today. This means that humans have killed and disrespected their great ancestors, who brought life to this earth and continue to support all forms of life to this day.
Bacteria are the snubbed and disdained creators and supporters of life on this earth. Everyday, everywhere, bacteria are busy breaking down nutrients to support life, that could not exist without their help. They have a great role on this earth, and in return for their help and support they haven’t even gotten the slightest amount of recognition or respect. We mindlessly slaughter these bacteria everyday, and we fear them as if they were terrible criminals whose sole purpose is to spread disease. In this world, we have betrayed bacteria, but bacteria have remained loyal to us.
Filed by efsw18 at May 14th, 2009 under Essays
