Imagine you’re walking down the street on a bright Saturday afternoon and you get to the crosswalk, but you’re waiting for the light to turn green before you cross. Instead of seeing the normal Toyota or Chevy, people are sitting on Triceratops and Stegosaurus. The old lady right next to you is taking her pet Raptor on a walk. Now think about what life would be like if this were true. We’ve all seen the classic sci-fi movies where dinosaurs survived. We’ve got Jurassic Park, The Flintstones, and Godzilla. And we all had a teacher in kindergarten that brought up the question: “What would life be like if dinosaurs were still alive?” I think your answer tells a lot about how much faith you have in the human race. Do you believe that humans could tame and live amongst dinosaurs, or that we couldn’t and it will be utter chaos?
Dinosaurs could probably be tamed creatures just like dogs and cats. Humans have had insane amounts of technological advancements since the beginning of time. We were able to tame wild wolves into cute furry companions. In Antarctica, people use dogs to help transport resources. Imagine instead of a dog doing all this, you had a huge T-Rex. They would give you five times the amount of power you had if you were using a Husky. With their large size and speed, you would be able to get to places faster than ever. Dinosaurs could also reduce the amount of pollution we get from cars. If we can tame the carnivore dinosaurs and find them a new food source people wouldn’t be in danger.
On the other hand, it could be really scary. Think about having a huge man-eating beast just hovering above you. There might always be the chance that they attack a human; everyone and thing needs to eat something to survive. Dinosaurs who are herbivores might not be as much of a risk as carnivore dinosaurs, but they might end up eating a lot of rainforests to satisfy their hunger. There could be an even smaller amount of trees than there were before. They might become more advanced being in the modern world and join forces to overthrow humans. There are a lot of risks just having them alive with us.
I think I fall somewhere in the middle. The fact there are so many things that could be beneficial towards the human race. On the other hand, there are so many risks with having them around. Sure they might help lower the risks of air pollution, but they also need to eat trees and other vegetation to survive. There could be a shortage of trees. Beautiful parks might end up becoming a cafeteria for Triceratops. This could mean no more Central Park, or afternoon walks with your best friend, family, or significant other. Aside from the negative things, I’m also thinking about how quickly we could rush someone to the hospital. In three big steps, you could be there. They could make jobs easier and more efficient for workers. Now I have full faith that humans have an insane amount of technology and could even produce more that could stop the dinosaurs from rebelling, but we can’t always have full control over everything. We can’t choose what type of weather we have like in Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, or even how other humans act. We may be able to predict how things act or what may or may not happen, but we can’t stop it.
In the eyes of people who love the Jurassic era, and have total faith in the technology we have today, they might be all for the thought of humans coexisting with dinosaurs, while others are hesitant. Some people may even be in the middle. They might have a good amount of faith, but still understand that not everything can be controlled. Regardless of whether or not this could actually happen, this is a great thing for people to think about. This shows how much faith we have in technology and our attitudes towards it.
Owusua Peprah
Saint Ignatius College Prep