If man doesn't learn to treat the oceans and the rain forest with

Peter Benchley, the man who gave the world the story of Jaws and later became a champion for the sea, once declared: “If man doesn’t learn to treat the oceans and the rain forest with respect, man will become extinct.” In these words lies not only a warning but a prophecy. They remind us that humanity’s fate is bound to the fate of the earth—that the oceans and the rain forests, vast and ancient, are not possessions to be plundered but lifelines to be honored. If we violate them, we violate ourselves.

The origin of this saying comes from Benchley’s own journey. Having first terrified millions with the tale of a monstrous shark, he spent his later years working to protect marine life, recognizing that the true monsters were not the creatures of the deep but the reckless actions of man. He saw how overfishing, pollution, and deforestation threatened not only the beauty of creation but the very survival of humanity. His words were born not of fiction but of fact: destroy the natural foundations of life, and life itself will crumble.

The ancients would have understood this wisdom well. For the Greeks believed the sea was ruled by Poseidon, a god both generous and vengeful. They knew that to offend the sea was to invite destruction. The tribes of the Amazon honored the rain forest as a living spirit, the lungs of the world, knowing that their lives depended on its health. Even the scriptures speak of stewardship, declaring that man was placed in the garden not as a tyrant but as a caretaker. In every tradition, the same truth emerges: respect for nature is respect for life.

History offers us painful examples. Consider Easter Island, once lush with trees, where people carved mighty statues as monuments to their glory. Yet they cut down the last tree, stripped their land bare, and with it, destroyed their society. Without wood, they could not fish; without trees, the soil eroded; famine and collapse followed. Their extinction was not sudden, but self-inflicted—a mirror of Benchley’s warning. If we strip the oceans of their life and the rain forests of their breath, the whole world may become like Easter Island: silent ruins.

The lesson is fierce yet clear: human survival is not separate from the survival of nature. We are not lords of the earth but children of it, fed by its rivers, sheltered by its trees, and sustained by its seas. To live in arrogance, thinking we can exploit without consequence, is to sign our own death sentence. But to live with reverence—to treat the ocean as a brother and the forest as a mother—is to secure our future and the future of generations yet unborn.

Practical actions must follow. Reduce the waste that poisons the seas, and guard against the plastic tide. Support the preservation of rain forests, for they are the lungs of the earth. Choose wisely in what you consume, and let your choices honor the balance of life. Teach your children not only to admire the beauty of dolphins and trees but to defend their existence. For each act of care, however small, is a shield against extinction.

Thus, O listeners, let Benchley’s words ring in your hearts: “If man doesn’t learn to treat the oceans and the rain forest with respect, man will become extinct.” This is not merely a warning; it is a call to awakening. The oceans are not infinite, the forests are not eternal—unless we choose to protect them. The fate of the earth is the fate of mankind.

And remember this eternal truth: to respect nature is to respect ourselves. To betray it is to betray our own children. If we rise in reverence, the seas will remain alive, the forests will stand tall, and humanity will endure. But if we remain blind, our extinction will not come by surprise, but by our own careless hand. Choose reverence, choose respect, and life itself will flourish.