It is so hot and humid these days that the weather forecast says, “Earth is like a furnace.” In fact, Earth seems to be gradually turning into an inhabitable place.

While watching a Hollywood movie on TV recently, I heard a persuasive, even enlightening, line of dialogue. A character in the movie humorously quipped, “When a virus enters our body, our body temperature goes up in order to eliminate the harmful foreign entity. Likewise, global warming occurs in order to eradicate human species that Earth perceives as a harmful virus.”

Indeed for Earth, humans might be a malevolent virus. For example, humans pollute the environment and destroy the eco-system everywhere. Terrorists indiscriminately massacre innocent people all over the world and dictators callously torture political dissidents to death in less developed countries. From time to time, humans wage war, annihilate civilization, devastate the land, and slaughter people, whether military or civilian.

According to some scientists, humans are also imperialist by nature because they kill animals and plants indiscriminately in order to eat. Indeed, humans sweep up fish from the sea, hunt for pleasure, and slaughter cows and poultry for food. They colonize livestock, locking them up in pig pens, chicken coops and barns. They exploit horses and cows and take their lifelong services for granted. Standing at the top of the food chain, humans are indeed ruthless exploiters of Mother Nature.

Humans have also polluted the rivers and seas by throwing toxic chemicals into them and made parts of Earth inhabitable by nukes, dirty bombs and radiation. Humanity is also responsible for puncturing the ozone layer, leaving Earth hopelessly exposed to harmful ultraviolet rays. Every day, humans dump tons of trash and excrement that have seriously contaminated the soil. To the eyes of Earth, mankind is nothing but a destroyer. It is no wonder Earth has become feverish recently; undoubtedly, she wants to exterminate humans that are harmful in every sense.

In a Hollywood film titled, “Virus,” which was released in 1999, a huge energy source in space strikes a Russian ship and takes over the ship’s computer, wreaking havoc on the ship’s crew. The alien energy sees mankind as a virus that must be destroyed and eliminated.

The film is inspirational and illuminating because it makes us realize that we humans can be seen as a virus by other entities. Surely, it would be absurd to us and hurt our pride, and yet it is undeniable that we frequently act like a virus. For example, we antagonize and kill others under the facade of political ideologies or religious creeds. We build nuclear weapons to threaten world peace and attack other countries. We also act violently when our demands are not meet. We detest those who are different from us and abhor our political foes.

We unabashedly manufacture and install toxic air filters for air-purifiers and air-conditioners for greater profits. But think about our babies and children who have breathed the polluted air for a long time! The irony is that those toxic filters installed in air-purifiers and air-conditioners bear a sticker that says, “Eliminates 99 percent of viruses.” In the eyes of Earth, however, those who sell the toxic emitting antivirus filters are viruses to be eliminated. We also insolently put spoiled milk in biscuits and cookies and toxic materials in food without hesitation to make more money. We secretly take bribes and give benefits to the people who grease our palms. What then makes us humans better than viruses?

Of course, the history of human civilization tells us otherwise. It reveals that there have always been noble, respectable men and women in history, who have donated their fortunes or sacrificed themselves for the less blessed and less fortunate. There have always been those who have sought honor rather than fame, power or wealth. Historically, we have had a lot of saints and decent men with noblesse oblige. We have also had great thinkers and scholars who have guided us in the right direction. We have also had good-hearted Christians and decent Muslims who loved and helped their needy neighbors with the spirit of charity. 

Nevertheless, there are so many others who are mean and low, thus no better than a virus. If we do not change, Earth will eventually think of us as a good-for-nothing virus that should be eliminated. Surely that would be unnerving and scary. Even our computers may think that humans are a glitch or a computer virus because unlike logical computers, humans commit all sorts of incomprehensible follies and mistakes.  

When and if Earth and computers will see us as a virus and hunt us down, there will be no hiding place for us. Perhaps we should go to the moon or another planet and repeat human follies there all over again; colonize space, build nations and boundaries, and fight each other again over religious or political differences. In order to avoid doomsday, we should change.

By Kim Seong-kon

Kim Seong-kon is a professor emeritus of English at Seoul National University and president of the Literature Translation Institute of Korea. -- Ed.