Elves and Men: Us now and then?

[Meela]

I have brought this up once before in another topic, but I would like to set it up as a discussion to see what views others hold. I apologise if this has been discussed already.

If Middle Earth is a reflection upon our own ancient world, then the races inhabiting it must share some form of identity with us.
The modern race of men is shown as rather weak, and possibly slightly destructive? Whereas the elves are a race of more perfection... well, they are supposedly better than men, at least.
I have often wondered if the race of men is Tolkien's view on the world of people around him, and the elves are what we should have been or used to be. Perhaps he saw us as he wrote his race of men: society today seems to be rather destructive, ie. pollution and forest destruction, and this is reflected in Lord Of The Rings.
The elves treasure nature and the world around them, and would never dream of cutting down the forests in the way that we do today. Here I am thinking of early Medieval England and before, when the country was covered in vast amounts of forest, and little else. The people may not exactly have been elves, but there was a better relationship with the land. At least, that is what I see.

I do not know where the dwarves or any other species comes into it. All I can offer my opinion on here is the view that we were once a race of elves, or at least Tolkien's ideal race, and now we are like modern Lord Of The Rings men, who are not so ideal.
Please add your opinions or corrections.