Canaveral National Seashore, Florida
As I walked out to my barn this morning with the sky brightening in the east and the creatures of the woodlands and on our little farm coming to life, I thought about just how beautiful nature is when we can see it clearly to marvel at and enjoy. And my thoughts turned to something I've been thinking about during this lockdown and it involves the behavior of so many of us who should know better. What am I talking about? I'm referring to the way so many of us treat nature in places where it is meant to be enjoyed by all and no place is more evident than on the beach. And since we humans are also part of nature, something that we often forget, our treatment of one another is part of the equation. Back in earlier days, more of us paid attention to such things but even then we had a few problems, including back at Old Nags Head in her glory days. It was never the locals and it was never the families who owned and enjoyed their cottages for the social stigma they would face if they did would be significant. No, it was always a few who came to just have what they considered fun, throwing caution to the wind, and often never return, and they often would leave all their trash, including wrappers, empty drink bottles and cans, and all the plastic that came with it. I always wondered what their house looked like back home and if they lived that way there as well. I remember when pop tops first came in vogue and I even cut my foot on one of them loose in the sand. Our parents taught us back in those day to pick up our mess, as well as someone else's if we found it left behind and that at least cleaned up something that might have been there for a long time otherwise. Besides, in those days of deposit for bottles, we made a few bucks on the cleanup as well.
Today it's much worse and it seems like with every passing year our lack of concern for others gets much more coarse. In addition to the trash, music that is too loud when its played, abusive language heard that is, sadly, so often just accepted as the way things are and a general attitude sometimes that is all about ourselves with nary a thought for others. Those who try to be considerate often have to leave and hope to find somewhere else to go. In the old days it was the exception which was shown in the Charles Atlas magazine ad about the skinny kid getting sand kicked in his face. Today it is more likely to be someone walking while texting or surfing a smart phone who walks over you on the beach blanket and we think nothing of it excepting, of course, those who lose their cool and make it so much worse.
So, what does God the Creator think when He looks down at the scene below. Well, one thing is for certain, He is not happy and He just hopes we remember that we must practice proper dominion over the earth. He sees some of his most beautiful wild creatures suffering due to our lack of consideration as well as his precious lambs who are us. There's the whale dying a slow and painful death with a stomach full of plastic. Or the majestic seabird who can't open his beak due to the plastic drink carrier holding his beak closed and slowly starving him to death. Or what about the young couple strolling on the beach on a romantic evening when one of them steps in the unexpected, deep hole left open after dark and breaking a leg. But there's more. There's the little boy who steps on the broken bottle that originated from an unthinking beachgoer, severely cutting his foot and ruining his vacation. Finally, there's the poor horse that has to be put down due to being hit by a beach driver coming too close and spooking the animal that is accustomed to flight when in danger. Somehow I know that God is not happy, and he truly wonders why so many of us have lost our ability to love as he taught us, lost in self-centered gratification while also not even knowing what they caused.
So, while you are locked inside and can't get to the beach or another place where we long to go for enjoyment, remember these things. Look at the picture of the beach above and realize that the only thing needed to take it back to where it was not so many generations ago is to remove the footprints which disappear naturally in just a day or even a high tide or two. And all it takes is to pay a little attention to detail and think before we act. That shouldn't be too tough, but it does bring great benefit to those other creatures who share this earth with us and sometimes with even our fellow man. Be considerate, clean up after the day is over and make it a much more livable world. Our fellow inhabitants will appreciate it.
Today it's much worse and it seems like with every passing year our lack of concern for others gets much more coarse. In addition to the trash, music that is too loud when its played, abusive language heard that is, sadly, so often just accepted as the way things are and a general attitude sometimes that is all about ourselves with nary a thought for others. Those who try to be considerate often have to leave and hope to find somewhere else to go. In the old days it was the exception which was shown in the Charles Atlas magazine ad about the skinny kid getting sand kicked in his face. Today it is more likely to be someone walking while texting or surfing a smart phone who walks over you on the beach blanket and we think nothing of it excepting, of course, those who lose their cool and make it so much worse.
So, what does God the Creator think when He looks down at the scene below. Well, one thing is for certain, He is not happy and He just hopes we remember that we must practice proper dominion over the earth. He sees some of his most beautiful wild creatures suffering due to our lack of consideration as well as his precious lambs who are us. There's the whale dying a slow and painful death with a stomach full of plastic. Or the majestic seabird who can't open his beak due to the plastic drink carrier holding his beak closed and slowly starving him to death. Or what about the young couple strolling on the beach on a romantic evening when one of them steps in the unexpected, deep hole left open after dark and breaking a leg. But there's more. There's the little boy who steps on the broken bottle that originated from an unthinking beachgoer, severely cutting his foot and ruining his vacation. Finally, there's the poor horse that has to be put down due to being hit by a beach driver coming too close and spooking the animal that is accustomed to flight when in danger. Somehow I know that God is not happy, and he truly wonders why so many of us have lost our ability to love as he taught us, lost in self-centered gratification while also not even knowing what they caused.
So, while you are locked inside and can't get to the beach or another place where we long to go for enjoyment, remember these things. Look at the picture of the beach above and realize that the only thing needed to take it back to where it was not so many generations ago is to remove the footprints which disappear naturally in just a day or even a high tide or two. And all it takes is to pay a little attention to detail and think before we act. That shouldn't be too tough, but it does bring great benefit to those other creatures who share this earth with us and sometimes with even our fellow man. Be considerate, clean up after the day is over and make it a much more livable world. Our fellow inhabitants will appreciate it.
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