Nature Connection: Remembering Our Connections To Nature

With an election coming up that is focused on many divisive things being fueled by oh so much misinformation, perhaps we should all take a breath and remember that the most important thing we should be voting for is the environment.

The constant degradation and disregard of our environment can be linked to many of the political problems facing not only our nation but the world. Just the way people say things like “Oh, they’re one of those environmentalists,” with a snicker or a sneer should be a warning to us all. Economy? Human rights? Immigration? All these issues are linked to our natural world. We humans are among the very few species who deliberately foul our nests. In our relentless pursuit of money we have destroyed habitats, poisoned our food and water supplies, and created a climate mess that we may never recover from. 

I hear a lot of hysterical chatter about immigration but really, all we need to look at is how the world is changing and oh, yes, some history as well. People move all the time. Mostly they move to seek a better life but sometimes it’s even more basic. They move to find clean water and food, a place where they can shelter and be safe. These places are harder and harder to find.

 Wildlife is a good indicator of how stressed our environment has become. While many species hover on the brink of extinction worldwide due to environmental mismanagement, massive habitat destruction, and unbridled use of toxins in manufacturing, agriculture, and suburban sprawl, others have adapted and moved right in with us.

Here on Cape Cod, animals such as foxes, coyotes, raccoons, possums, minks, rats, and even fishers have become quite comfortable in our neighborhoods and backyards. There is food for all, whether intentional or not by homeowners, and also shelter. People aren’t always thrilled about all this sharing with wild animals, but where else can they go? We’ve fragmented their wild areas leaving them no recourse but to adapt to our encroachments by joining us.

Our bird and insect populations are crashing, something that should be of serious concern and be at the top of all ballots. Our water supplies are threatened daily, causing almost daily testing to assure municipalities that drinking local water is actually safe. We have filled our aquifers and reservoirs with toxins, including medicines and chemicals used on our lawns and in our homes. Our landfills are overflowing and there are whole islands of trash floating about in the ocean. 

Say the word conservation in a group and watch people’s eyes roll. To many it is an ugly word, one that shackles them with rules. Conservation means saving, being frugal, being sensible with our resources, whether we are talking about wild areas or our own wallets. It’s all tied up together, our environment and our wallets.

Right now, a lot of people are up in arms about the wind farms, and I’ve seen some pretty weird pictures online of how wonderful oil and gas fields are, full of trees, animals, and pretty flowers. Perhaps people should look up pictures of real oil fields and fracking. The ugly fact of energy production or harvesting is that it is indeed ugly. It involves a lot of toxins, a lot of waste, and a lot of values that must be weighed in terms of benefits and losses. It is easy to get upset by headlines meant to disrupt and even to confuse, but we all need to do the hard work of educating ourselves. The world deserves at least that much of our respect.

People get all upset about the economy and their standards of living and the value of their homes and how many new people keep arriving to upset their comfortable ways, but in the end none of these matter. No one takes their stuff with them when they go. The rich die just like the poor do; no one can prevent their ultimate demise.

We can, however, consider how we want our country to address the issues of sane survival. We can vote for sanity, for consideration and conservation of our resources which are not infinite, by any means.

We like our comfortable homes, vehicles, town centers where we can gather, shop, dine together, and attend arts or sports events, but these things cannot exist without clean air, water, and places to grow our food and create energy. Arguing about the cost of groceries or banning books keeps us occupied but the real issues are being ignored.

We are poisoning our environment at remarkable rates. Read up about bitcoin mining practices and the power demanded by AI. Educate yourself about the ways pharmaceuticals are being manufactured and marketed to us and our pets. Volunteer at a local school to see what’s really going on with our young people and maybe visit a local restaurant owned by someone from another culture and find out more about who they are and why they are here. 

The world is changing very quickly and many of us may wish to shut down, watch sports or British mysteries on TV and ignore it all. It’s not going away. In fact, it’s going to get worse. The natural world can exist without us. Just ask the dinosaurs. It’s up to us to make sure that the world will still sustain humans. Vote as if your grandchildren were watching, because they are.