Posted by
Bob Siegel on Monday, December 03, 2007 1:12:53 AM
I'm
becoming an environmentalist. That
statement may not mean much to the reader but those who know me well will raise
an eyebrow or two. After all, I am
frequently expressing concern with some of today's current political
climate.
I
actually started hating the idea of being an environmentalist a few years ago
when a $30,000.00 fine was levied against a farmer who accidentally ran over an
endangered species (kangaroo rat) with his tractor. An Asian who had recently
become a citizen, this poor man didn't know that the Kangaroo Rat was an
endangered species and wouldn't have seen it in the path of his tractor even if
he did know. Unfortunately, the
accidental nature of the event made no difference. We have stiffer penalties for mistakenly killing an animal than purposely killing a
human being and my contempt for these kinds of decisions is well known to my
church.
Not that
my church ever heard me write off the entire movement. I have always acknowledged the existence of less extreme,
more balanced environmentalists, people who do not place plant and animal life
on an equal par with human beings but who instead feel concern about the
delicacy of our eco system which sooner or later will affect the safety of
human beings. I have no quarrel with
this type of environmentalist. Still,
not having a quarrel is a far cry from feeling passion and frankly, even
responsible level headed environmentalism has not concerned me as much as other
issues.
So why
the change of heart? Lately I have been
exploring a third kind of environmental concern.
Every
year, around Christmas time, I return to my roots; the Santa
Cruz Mountains. Here I played as a boy and here I return to
spend the day with God and take a personal inventory of my life. Of course, the land I knew as a boy is now
private property. Fortunately there is
public forest called Henry Cowell State
Park.
Walking in the midst of the thick and majestic coast redwoods with tree
trunks so tall that you can't see the top, with sunlight mixing through the fog
for a mystical effect, I experience my favorite day of the year.
One might
argue that I could spend the day with God anywhere. One could even pray to Him in the
shower. True enough, but the fact is, I
don't concentrate well on God in the shower.
I concentrate more on keeping clean.
One could also think about God in the car but what they should think
about is driving. We need help to focus
our thoughts. That's why cathedrals are
built but I'll take the California redwoods
over a cathedral any time. It is, quite
simply, my favorite place in the world.
And in this sanctuary, this vacation spot from all the cares of life,
I'm not afraid of anything. Later in the
year when I think about my walk in the forest with God, I'm still not afraid of
anything.
I don't
know much about Henry Cowell, except that he's a man who saw to it that this
breath taking beauty would always be accessible to people like me.
No, the trees are not more
valuable to God than human beings, but they do have value because they are
needed by human beings. The handy-work
of God does something for our spirits.
What it does for the eco system is also important but I have reached the
conclusion that even if people someday create their own artificial environment,
our spirits will still die without the trees and that is why I have become an
environmentalist.
The Bob
Siegel Show can be heard every Sunday from 3:00 to 4:00 PM on KCBQ 1170 on the dial or KCBQ.com to listen live
over the internet.
Call in toll free number if you want to join in the program with
questions or comments:
1-888-344-1170
Bob’s website is: www.bobsiegel.net