Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind

by Yuval Noah Harari

There was nothing special about humans. Nobody, least of all humans themselves, had any inkling that their descendants would one day walk on the moon, split the atom, fathom the genetic code and write history books. The most important thing to know about prehistoric humans is that they were insignificant animals with no more impact on their environment than gorillas, fireflies or jellyfish.

We need to switch gears from controlling and destroying nature to conserving and lowering our impact on nature. We have nothing more to prove. We are the dominate species and must wear that mantle as a compassionate caretaker.