To
go out into nature, is to see our Mother’s protest. She stands strong as she
demonstrates her message; you are hypnotized as she distracts your senses.
The
redundant croaks of the cicadas and the responses of the crickets pull your
ears away. The calling of the blue jay echoes overhead and the hawk shouts
“beware” as he lands below.
The
squirrels fight with the birds for attention as they play tag. Around my
sneakers and above the tree stump, they dodge all objects in sight. Only when
they reach “safety” at the top of the pine can they relax. They push the dry
leaves out of the way and you can hear the leave’s pleading as they try to hang
on to the branches above.
But
the sunlight above wins my attention as she points her rays below, and reminds
the animals who is really in charge. Her arms light up the lake to fully
reflect the scene above. A family of trees huddles together. Each tree is
beautiful but with its own touch. The tallest pine, the oldest brother, I would
suspect, peers over the rest to get a better view of them in the mirror below.
Just underneath him, the ladies change into their finest reds as they sprinkle
their leaves with a rosy glow. The fall ball is almost here! Old grandpa is a
bit embarrassed by his balding branches as he remembers the result of the last lighting
strike. The winds help him scratch his head to brush off the pestering hawk. No
family trees are quite the same, though they all do spread far and wide around
the lake.
This is just a taste of Mother Nature's protest.
Her
protest runs 365 days a year, always demonstrating the intrinsic beauty of nature.
Despite
initial assumptions, her protest is not silent. On the contrary, if you let
her, she will scream at your every sense. In many ways there is no way to
replicate this phenomenon. This extraordinary omnipotent presentation reminds
us who is in charge. Yet, in this day and age the sad reality stands that not
everyone will take the time to listen to Mother Nature’s protest. And for this
reason, we, the people who understand the importance of a clean environment
have the obligation to pass on the message to those who don’t.
On
September 21, I walked hand and hand with people who have experienced Mother
Nature’s protest too. Together, we united in the streets of New York City for The
People’s Climate March. If you are one of the people who have not seen, heard or
felt the protest of nature then this human demonstration is for you. For the UN
conference politicians who ponder the value of climate change legislation, this
is for you. For anyone who doubts that people care, and are willing to speak up
for what they believe in, this march is for you.
310,
000 people marched in the streets of Manhattan. This mass was made up of the
smallest tot perched high on his dad’s shoulders to the great-grandmother who paraded
the streets in her wheelchair. More commonly represented though were the
thousands of students who had traveled from around the country to express what
they wanted their future to look like. Students from Appalachian State held
their anti-mountain top removal signs high; students from the UCs applauded the
use of solar energy; the Pitt students marched to the beat of “frack is whack.”
The untarnished grins of students, eager for change, contrasted the frustrated
faces of the elders, desperate to go back to the good ol’ days.
But,
no matter what the expressions were, the ultimate goal was clear- to shine a
light on Mother Nature. To make so much noise, that people and politicians would
wake up, and make a change. This noise came in all different shapes and sizes.
Visual
noise was scattered about as posters conversed in the air. “Earth: Voted Most
Livable Planet in 3.5 Billion years,” bragged a sign. “Climate Change isn’t
cool!” responded another sign. “I’m doing something, your turn!” mocked yet
another one. Al Gore and Tim DeChristopher both made an appearance. They were only
out-fanned by the Lorax and the polar bear. People in bright colors, on stilts
and in baby böerns all filled the streets. Every person in New York City had to
have noticed.
Visual
noise was only outperformed by audio noise. After a brief moment of silence,
chaos broke out in a wave across the people. Trumpets played; symbols clapped;
horns sang. In case the point wasn’t clear enough, people chanted “keep that
oil in the soil,” and “hey Obama, we don’t need no climate drama.” The message
was sent with voices, young and old, hopeful and fed-up, and will continue to
be delivered as newspapers and talk shows marvel on the largest protest in
decades. Does human demonstration mean anything anymore? I guess we will find
out in the proceeding months.
This
march is a message that is coming from people who have experienced nature’s
beauty and appreciate the complex system of ecology to people who have not yet
experienced this. Nature’s Protest has been going on for 24 hours a day, for
every day any human has been alive, but for those who have not taken the time
to listen, we will do our best to convey the message to you.
Homo
Sapiens are one of the many species who live on this planet. If you go out into
the nature, you will see the family trees, the skittish squirrels, the running
river, and plenty more. We are here as a last plea to go out into nature and
let her tell you it for herself. But, if you won’t do that, then you must take
our word. Nature is a beautiful production, and you must help us protect it. Help
us reduce our enormous footprint. Help us go back to a simpler life. We humans,
and the biosphere as we know it, don’t have much time.
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