Among all things above and below the sea, the lowest form of life would have to be The Human. No other specie is so despicable in so many ways. We are so thoroughly flawed that we are compelled to build great cathedrals where we gather to confess our worthlessness. We didn’t ask to be contemptible. We didn’t ask to commit unspeakable acts, to lie, murder, rape, steal and cheat. These are just things we humans tend to do, like scarfing donuts or watching TV soaps. It’s not that we don’t try to do better. Ted Bundy said that most of the time he was a pretty nice guy. He just had occasional lapses. No telling how many great things the Fannie and Freddie bigwigs did for their communities as they simultaneously destroyed the life savings of millions. So it goes. It’s just being human. It’s what we do. Do for others and do a little cocaine. Give and take. Nobody’s perfect. Who among us dares pass judgment? If by chance you have doubt about human vileness, witness those of us who litter—the millions of humans who willy-nilly toss garbage on public and private property. Above all other crimes, littering proves that humans reside at the bottom of the food chain. Occupying the lowest link of that chain would have to be the cigarette litterbugs. With premeditation and contempt for others, they toss billions of butts on roadways, sidewalks, golf courses, parks—everywhere and anywhere. Who are these slobs? None other than our friends and neighbors, mothers, fathers, sons, daughters and grandmas. If the human being could evolve to a non-littering state, perhaps we would move up a notch among the millions of other organisms; say, just above the millipede. Then we might have a leg to stand on. Yet, standing up is uniquely human. From pole to pole, we risk everything in defense of our fellow man. While the millipede slithers along oblivious to the suffering of the centipede, valiant people quietly and heroically reach across cities and continents to touch souls they will never even know. They leap into burning buildings. They plunge into raging rivers. Forsaking all that is precious, they give “their last full measure of devotion” in the name of humanity. Who are these people? Why, none other than a pack of liars, cheaters and litterbugs. Who can figure? God only knows.