“Each of you has the whole wealth of the universe at your very door,” American naturalist John Burroughs said.
The other day, three people talked to me about the state of the planet. A young man wondered, “What can we do?” He worries about his grandparents, who live in Puerto Rico, which is under threat of more powerful hurricanes.
An older man said sadly, “It’s too late to do anything.”
The third insisted that we have all the technology necessary to halt climate change. “We’ve put men on the moon! Why can’t we keep this planet intact?”
I wondered what Pliny the Elder would have said.
The Roman historian walked the world, noting down everything he saw. His 37 notebooks became his Naturalis Historia, which he published in 70 A.D. It is still consulted by scholars and is considered a forerunner of encyclopedias. Critics point out Pliny’s mistakes, but none can deny his gift to the world.
As long as we draw breath, we are in debt to the Earth. Daily, we use her precious water. We eat her food.
But the Earth not only sustains us, it enriches our lives.
A fledgling jay tries out its wings; a young oak pushes up through the ashes of a recent fire; a passing shower refreshes drought-stricken plants.
The Earth makes it possible for us to live in gratitude.