Easter's End

The general argument/point made by Jared Diamond in his work Easter’s End is that we are on our way towards the same fate as the people of Easter Island. More specifically, Diamond argues/suggests that just like them, our civilizations are going to become extinct because of the way we live. He writes, “Perhaps someday New York’s skyscrapers will stand derelict and overgrown with vegetation, like the temples at Angkor Wat and Tikal.” (page 426) In this passage, Diamond is referring to the state of the statues that were made by the Easter Island islanders. These statues are massive and could have been the civilization’s pride and joy, their God. In conclusion, it is Diamond’s belief that our world will slowly loose civilizations, especially American societies.

In my view, Diamond is wrong because I think our circumstances are different than those apart of that civilization. For example, they had no connections to the other parts of the world. They were completely cut off up to the point where they didn’t realize there were even other civilizations out there. America is well known and will never be isolated the way they were. I think it would be very interesting to see our own statues, monuments, and skyscrapers live the same fate. I am reminded of the way New York is shown in the movie I Am Legend. I definitely think that is what it would look like if that did happen. What I think is interesting is that one of the greatest mysteries is the disappearance of civilizations. It would be great to know all of the answers, but there is no way unless we meet them in heaven to ask, I guess. Although Diamond might object that we are not susceptible for becoming a lost civilization, I maintain that that will not happen to the United States. Therefore, I conclude that many of the mysterious disappearances of cultures will continue to be a mystery and will now be prevented because of our theories for how it happened will help us prevent all of the possibilities.