“There is no single word to describe it. Wild, certainly. Graceful, that too. Breathtaking, yes. Cloud shadows slide silently across the expanse like so many migrating lakes, casting down on the flush Earth the sky's enormity in duplicate. There is room enough for sunlight to pour down in one corner and a dark thunderstorm to throb noiselessly in a farther corner. The marsh not only dominates your view; it catches you with its hushed sounds, and with its blended earthy and briny smells in the grass, mud, air, and water."
- Jack E Davis in "The Gulf: The Making of an American Sea",
describing Louisiana's coastal wetlands
I just finished reading The Gulf by Jack E Davis, which I quoted above, and I learned many things. One of the most striking themes to me, intentionally or not I'll never know, from this great book is that people do what people want. And what people want is often so in conflict from what they actually need, and what will be beneficial in the long term, that in retrospect it seems insane that people did the things they did. But we humans don't think in long terms. We think in short term, personal gain, the financial incentive, and only up to about 5 feet in front of our noses. As a species we just do whatever we damn well please.
Let the environment be damned.
That philosophy over the last few hundred years has really come back to bite us in the ass in 2018. The hole in the ozone layer is back because China kept using CFCs, in direct violation of the Montreal Protocol. Extinction, while a natural process that has always occurred, is occurring at 1000 times the average rate. The Northern White Rhino is left with 2 female members of the species, and are the only members of the species still alive. The oceans are steadily becoming more acidic, which surely won't result in any good outcomes. The Mississippi River is so partitioned off from it's current and historic deltas by man made barriers that the once nourished wetlands are starving.
People still poach, still overhunt, still destroy habitats willy nilly, still clear cut rainforests, still pollute waterways, still cause air pollution, still waste clean water, and still don't care.
The root of this problem is respect. Or actually, a lack of respect. One does not show respect by shooting endangered species, killing every single passenger pigeon, draining wetlands to build houses, cutting down all those rainforest trees that remove CO2 from the atmosphere, letting toxic waste run off into the nearby creek, letting your vehicle belch extra emissions into the air, or letting the water run in the sink when you're not using it.
Those are just a few examples of disrespect for nature, the environment, and everyone else on this planet.
Let's read that again, but emphasis mine: A feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements.
I have deep respect for wildlife. I could use any number of subjects as an example, but wildlife are near and dear to my heart and soul, so let's follow this. It's hard to verbalize why I respect wildlife but I appreciate the beauty, the value of biodiversity, the niche that each species plays, and all the ways the web is intertwined. To that end, I try to not disturb wildlife and aim to maintain a distance great enough to remove the stress of my presence. I observe wildlife from afar, and often with the aid of the long lens on my camera. I respect the animal's boundaries, it's home and habitat that I'm visiting, and that it was here first.
I know that I am the human, intruding on that animal's afternoon, and I am fully aware that I am the visitor. I want to enjoy my experience, and appreciate my surroundings, and leave the place in the same condition or better than I found it. That is true in the woods, wetlands, my own backyard, the creek down the road, the work truck, or almost any situation I'm ever in. But in reality, the only situation where my respect or lack thereof is mostly likely to pose a lethal problem is in nature. I could walk through the woods, trample on plants, get off trail, harass wildlife, make a mess, and act like I'm the master of the universe and all animals must bow to my mightiness. I could do that, but probably I'd just get mauled by a bear, fall off a cliff, or get bit by a snake because of my disrespect and arrogance. And probably I would deserve it, based on my proposed behavior in this unreal scenario.
Arrogance has no place in the wilderness equation.
Arrogant (the root of arrogance): "Having or revealing an exaggerated sense of one's own importance or abilities." [source]
Humans are not important. The world would be just fine without us. The same can be said and be true of probably any other species, if you boil it down as simply as that. The world will still turn without white rhinos or humans. But we're the only species that manipulates the entire world to our own benefit, and we are the ones that can create the biggest impact (beneficial or detrimental) because we are literally world wide.
With this much brainpower, technology, and knowledge at our fingertips, don't we have a responsibility to be good neighbors and protect, conserve, restore, and love our environment? Yes, 100%.
I feel that responsibility every day. I don't own the planet - nobody does. We are all on this rock together, no matter our perceived differences. The responsibility to take care of our environment is squarely on all of our shoulders. We only have 1 planet and we can be so much better.
According to National Geographic in 2016, approximately 20% of the Earth's land is wilderness [source]. 20% of the existing land area doesn't seem like a lot to me but it's nearly a quarter, which is a start. There's plenty of nature left to love, and plenty of people on this planet capable of doing the right thing.
As in any group effort, there will be slackers and there will be over achievers. Which one are you going to be in this quest of respect, love, responsibility, and stewardship of the world?
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