On hikes I’ve seen wild cats and wild pigs, golden eagles and turkey vultures,
\nstinking skunks and hissing serpents. Wild animals are interesting enough, but
\nwhat really amazes me is the more basic survival drama evident in a flower or
\ntree growing out of a chunk of solid rock. <\/p>\n
Animals have bones, muscles and complex brains. They have eyes, ears, noses
\n— the ability to identify threats and run away. But the tree growing from the
\ncrack in the cliff face has just the bare minimum of water, soil and nutrients
\nrequired for survival, plus its genetically programmed will to live. For some
\nreason that seems more remarkable. <\/p>\n
Life exists with such a fierce determination on this planet that it seems strange
\nto imagine our puny little species, which has been here for a mere hundred thousand
\nof the earth’s five billion years, posing much of a threat. My hunch is that
\nas long the earth maintains its current orbit, the climatic conditions for life
\nwill continue until the sun blows up.<\/p>\n
We have an "environmental movement" which presumes to act on behalf
\nof all living things that are not human. It’s noble and perhaps inevitable that
\nhumans imagine we are so all-powerful that we can protect the
\nearth, but this seems to blind us to the more important issue: we need the earth
\nto protect us. <\/p>\n
Earth will survive the introduction of all-terrain vehicles in our national
\nforests. It will outlast the drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife
\nRefuge. It’ll go on despite the extinction of thousands of jungle frogs. <\/p>\n
The real issue is whether we<\/i> will survive. This is just a wild guess,
\nbut I can’t help thinking the elements of our planet’s biosphere that were here
\n100,000 years ago when our species evolved into its current form need to remain
\nhere if we are to survive. <\/p>\n
Humans were born into an earth with oceans and forests teeming with life. Modern
\nhumans are busy cutting down forests and turning oceans into deep-water
\ndeserts. Can humanity survive without healthy oceans and vibrant forests? Yeah,
\nuntil it can’t anymore. <\/p>\n
I tend to write about these things as they occur to me. The observations may not be new to you but they are new to me. Lately I’ve been thinking we need nature a lot more than it needs us. I’ve often said the best thing people can do for the wilderness is stay the hell out of it. It may well also be the best thing we can do for ourselves.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
On hikes I’ve seen wild cats and wild pigs, golden eagles and turkey vultures, stinking skunks and hissing serpents. Wild animals are interesting enough, but what really amazes me is the more basic survival drama evident in a flower or…<\/p>\n