Now, I need to start off by saying that I'm certainly not a card-carrying member of Greenpeace, but I have made an effort to be a little more "green" in my ways. It's certainly something that is important to me, and thanks to this little trip, it's been thrust back to the front and center.
I'm not asking everyone that's reading this to go out and wrap their arms around the nearest dogwood tree and give it a passionate kiss. What I am asking everyone to do is to just stop and think about some things for a minute or two. Quite often when I'm having a discussion with an individual that doubts our impact on Mother Earth, I'm left speechless that these folks can't see that we are all connected. Use of resources that she provides to us is one thing, AB-use of those same resources is something completely different. We all share the same breath on this planet... why not at least TRY to do things a bit differently?
I was hiking through the Redwood National Park last week, and had the opportunity to sit and simply look, listen, and feel the environment around me. These trees have been here for 2,000+ years, and it may sound silly, but it really felt like they had a voice. No, the trees weren't speaking to me in some out-of-body spiritual vision, but the sound of that forest was unmistakable. It was the sound of life. It was the sound of history. And, most importantly, it was the sound of the future. I know I've leapt off the deep end into some sort of mind-numbing rant, but tough. If you don't like it, stop reading. Actually, for that matter, if you don't like it, I INSIST that you keep reading.
I challenge anyone to walk deep into one of those magnificent arboreal cathedrals and sit down for 30 minutes. It doesn't have to be Redwood National Park. It can be the seashore, it can be the local park. Somewhere you can get away from as many sounds of modern culture as possible. Sit there for thirty minutes and do NOTHING but listen. Listen to whatever natural sounds surround you. Listen to Mother Earth's voice for just thirty minutes. Close your eyes if you have to so you can really focus on her voice. Then, open your eyes and ask yourself this question: WHY NOT? Why shouldn't I at least make an effort? Why shouldn't I at least try? Is it because of some dumb party line? Some partisan talking point that you haven't stopped to think about for yourself? Whether you believe that Global Warming is being accelerated by man's abuse of the riches that we have been given, or if you simply believe that it is a repetitive planetary cycle that we don't have the slightest effect on, again ask WHY NOT? Why shouldn't I take better care of my house? My home? My children's home? And their children's home? Why not?
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On a semi-related note: I have a question for those individuals that tell me that the earth is only 6,000 years old. Most of the time (not all the time, mind you), these individuals tend to walk a fairly straight and narrow line when it comes to politics. I mention this because many of these individuals that I'm describing also don't believe in environmental issues or the phenomenon of global warming. They state that it's simply a "cycle." So herein lies my question... If the earth is only 6,000 years old, how can global warming just be a planetary cycle that goes up and down every ten or twenty thousand years? Quick? Your answer? I didn't think so.
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Ok, next time, I promise to leave politics out of it and just post some more pretty pictures and uninspired descriptions of my travels... or... maybe not.
See ya then!
Lefty
P.S. I spent last night in Bryce Canyon National Park located in Southwestern Utah. The way to the north rim of the Grand Canyon was indeed closed, and I didn't feel like looping all the way around to the south rim, so I just headed north. And I am glad I did! Bryce Canyon yesterday and some more early this morning and then Capitol Reef National Park today. Pretty sweet stuff. I'm spending the night tonight in a motel off of I-70 in south central Utah.
I plan on heading east towards Colorado tomorrow if the weather cooperates. It's probably about time for me to head back towards home in the coming days. Not that I won't be back out here really, really soon. But the IRS won't like my excuse of "finding myself" as a reason to not pay my taxes on time.
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