In most situations and under most circumstances I am not the kind of person who will try to impose my own personal views or beliefs on other people. But there are a few things that I feel so strongly about that I can’t keep quiet. If you have read any of my other blogs or any of my bulletins, you probably know how I feel about cruelty to animals and saving the environment. There is no question that people have done great things over the course of human history, but they have also brought about great devastation in almost every aspect of life on this planet. It seems that every day I continue to grow more cynical because of the actions I see, however, I do remain positive that it is not too late for our species to make a change. But while we do have the power to make that change, I fear that too many of us are too selfish, indifferent, careless, and lazy to make the necessary changes. The damage we are inflicting on our planet, and in turn ourselves, angers and saddens me to the point of tears and nausea. It breaks my heart.
Every person on the face of the Earth is different and unique, but there is one thing that connects us all, and that is this planet that we share. It does not matter what religion you choose, in what country you reside, what political party you affiliate with, your nationality or color; it is the responsibility of every single one of us to put an end to our negative impact in this world. Why must we constantly think only of ourselves? Do we not realize that the pain we inflict on this world will eventually become our own pain? Chief Seattle once said "What is man without the beasts? If all the beasts were gone, men would die from a great loneliness of spirit. For whatever happens to the beasts, soon happens to man. All things are connected." I am actively trying my hardest to help save this planet and the lives that depend on it. I donate a lot of money to organizations such as World Wildlife Fund, Defenders of Wildlife, United Way and others. I recycle. I just bought a new car that uses much less gas. I write to politicians. I buy energy efficient light bulbs. I don’t eat meat. I live small, with an attempt to limit my negative impact on the world around me. And while I will continue to fight for this planet, I (and everyone else who is doing their part) need the help of all of you. Everyday I see something that infuriates me beyond belief. Does no one realize that humans are 99% responsible for all species endangerment? And when we do realize this fact, why does this not bother us? Overall, humans are a negative force on this Earth, even with all of the people trying desperately to save this planet. If human beings are inherently good, then why is it so difficult to keep from doing harm? So many people look forward to finding paradise after they die, but I don’t understand why we keep destroying the paradise we already have. So much beauty exists in our world, but yet we continue to take it for granted, and we continue to throw it away. Nature is our inspiration. Animals are our companions. But yet we hold certain species above others. We plant flowers, and care for them. We keep our grass green. But yet we pollute our air and water, and we cut down our trees. We keep all kinds of pets. We love them, nurture them, and think of them as family. But yet we hunt and kill animals for sport. Aren’t dogs supposed to be man’s best friend? But yet we fly safely in airplanes above ground and execute the wolves running over open land. Does no one see a problem with our skewed perception of things? And are all the amazing things on this planet of such little importance to us that we don’t even feel the need to share them with our own children? Novelist and environmental activist Peter Matthiessen wrote "The variety of life in nature can be compared to a vast library of unread books, and the plundering of nature is comparable to the random discarding of whole volumes without having opened them, and learned from them. Our critical dependence on the great variety of nature for the progress we have already made has been amply documented. Indifference to the loss of species is, in effect, indifference to the future, and therefore a shameful carelessness about our children." Watching the human race continuously destroying our home breaks my heart every day. It truly pains me to realize how selfish we are. And our politicians make it worse. The Bush administration could give two shits about life on this planet because they believe oil is so much more important. I’ve written to politicians in Oklahoma to ask them to defend this planet’s wildlife, and one wrote me back and actually told me that he thinks oil is more important, and that the animals will be fine. He claimed that drilling for oil is relatively harmless, and that oil spills rarely happen. Ha… oil spills rarely happen? I bet he wouldn’t dare say that now. Even if oil spills are rare, we have all seen how destructive they can be! But then again, how many politicians do you know that aren’t greedy, dishonest bastards? Many go beyond greed and dishonesty. Many are actually vicious and cruel.
Why don’t more people stand up and speak out about the terrible things that we see? Do so many of us go through life with our eyes shut that we don’t even see what is going on? Or are we just that insensitive? I wonder if people are ignorant of the facts, or if they just ignore them.
I can’t force your decision, I can only facilitate your understanding of the grave consequences of our actions. If you choose to ignore the facts, try to get through these videos without feeling the slightest bit of sadness, or twinge of guilt.
If you want to donate to one of my favorite organizations, you can do so by clicking the following links:
World Wildlife Fund: www.worldwildlifefund.org
Defenders of Wildlife: www.defenders.org
The Humane Society of the United States: www.humanesociety.org
PETA: www.peta.org
United Way: www.liveunited.org
If you do not want to donate, you can also use these links to educate yourselves, your families, or you friends. These sites also include many other ways to get involved. Thank you in advance for checking these sites out.
