
## Joanna Lumley on Human Vanity
Dame Joanna Lumley has expressed her concerns about humanity, describing people as "excessively vain" and "miserable." In an interview with Radio Times, she stated:
> "We have become excessively vain and damaging, and we seem to have forgotten how to halt our destruction. If history could be chronicled by entities other than humans, we would undoubtedly be viewed as a plague, incapable of ceasing our reproduction, our destruction, our consumption, and our depletion without any effort to replenish. We truly are a rather miserable group."
## Humanity as a Plague
Lumley likened humans to a plague, emphasizing the destructive impact on the planet:
> "If history could be written by anything other than human beings, we would be seen as a plague, unable to stop breeding, to stop destroying, using up, never replacing."
She further stressed the urgency for change:
> "We must endeavor not to be entirely dreadful and to rectify the harm humans have inflicted on one another and the Earth."
## Advocacy and Self-Reflection
A committed advocate for animal rights and environmental issues, Dame Joanna has long championed these causes. She humorously acknowledged her own vanity, saying she is "as vain as a cat" and "self-absorbed like anyone else," yet remains active in campaigns related to climate change, animal welfare, and the preservation of natural environments.
## Author’s Summary
Joanna Lumley’s critique of human vanity and destructiveness urges us to reflect on our impact and strive for positive change in how we treat each other and the planet.
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Yahoo — 2025-11-29