Preaching to the choir is a term that I hate to hear because it becomes many people's excuse to do nothing. I've heard it a lot in the environmental realm, but I choose to ignore it. If I'm preaching to the choir, then the choir has to sing louder because it seems like no one is listening. Think I'll change the tempo too, and put some fire under it to get people to do some moving and shaking.
It's time to stand our ground and get angry about the neglect of Florida's springs, rivers and natural resources. Tourism generates billions of dollars annually because of the natural beauty of the beaches and waterways that we all love, but it's more than that. Nature here is unique and we need to stop disrespecting it by allowing continued dumping of cancer-causing wastewater into the rivers; we need to preserve the spring heads by better regulating consumptive water use permits; and we need to protect our uplands and wetlands subject to mitigation banking by allowing ONLY 'like for like' wetland swaps for FDOT purposes, as originally intended. If the Indian from the memorable 70's commercial were paddling his canoe down Rice Creek, he'd be crying, and then probably die from some type of horrific form of cancer from exposure to dioxin. The crying Indian paddling down a river polluted with trash left a lasting impression on me as a child and I never forgot the message. Be a good steward of the environment and don't pollute. But after writing story after story about Florida's environment and natural areas, that's how I feel, like the crying Indian - and I know I'm not alone. My choir is every environmentalist in Florida, and we're all singing the blues.
Nature reminds us that we are not alone.
Maybe some people are so far removed from nature that they forget how grounded it can make you feel, or how minute, especially when an 8 foot wave is towering over you, ready to roll you to the bottom of the sea in an undertow, simply to remind you how awesome nature really is and how insignificant we can be in comparison. Yet, nature still tolerates us - to a point.
We are also reminded that nature is so much bigger than us,
and she can be a good girl gone bad when she wants to be.
Born and raised on the Jersey shore, it was awful to see the destruction of my hometown beach of Sea Bright, and even worse to watch my friends and neighbors suffer without the basic necessities that many take for granted.
Living in a coastal town in Florida, we've experienced quite a few hurricanes, but nothing ever prepares you emotionally for the days and weeks of clean up after the storm. Amazingly, it is through times like these that some of the most incredible things happen. We grow, we learn to take care of each other better, we love more, and criticize less. We become better, more human. We are stripped out of our normal routine and forced to face acts of nature, whether we want to or not.
Nature humbles us and forces us to pay attention.
It reminds us of what is truly important.
We learn to appreciate people again, and not stuff. It teaches us to take a look at the bigger picture and our environment around us, because it is so much bigger than us. We are not alone and we need to remember that. We need to take care of each other, and our environment.
It reminds us of what is truly important.
We learn to appreciate people again, and not stuff. It teaches us to take a look at the bigger picture and our environment around us, because it is so much bigger than us. We are not alone and we need to remember that. We need to take care of each other, and our environment.
It's time to pick up the tempo, start banging the drums, and make some noise.
