“I speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues” – Dr. Suess
I may hail from the concrete jungle that is Toronto, but I have always carried with me a deeply rooted love for nature and the environment.
I vividly remember the day I realized the city wasn’t the center of the universe; I stood 1200 feet above sea-level, aimlessly staring into what was, and still is, the most beautiful sight I have ever seen. To my left, the infinite waters of the Atlantic Ocean met the rocky coast of Cape Breton’s shore, & to my right, the majestic highlands painted with the colors of the fall went on for what seemed like forever. Never in my life have I had the opportunity to visit somewhere so remote and untouched, it was as if I was visiting another world – one so distant from the city life I had become so accustomed to. The Cabot Trail is where I found myself; driving along the winding roads, through rolling mountains lined by rock cliffs & salt water – that’s where everything finally made sense, and I knew my life would never be the same. Nature does things to people, great things.
Fast forward 18 months, and I think I’ve spent more time in nature than I ever have in my 22 years living in the city. This has served my personal and spiritual growth immensely, and I can confidently say that I am a completely different person, due to a little thing I like to call “nature therapy”. This has also caused me to become much more aware of how disconnected from nature the majority of the population is; this is a little thing called “nature deficit disorder”, a hypothesis that states human beings, especially children, are spending less time outdoors, resulting in a wide range of behavioural and psychological issues. I once experienced this disorder, without even realizing it until I moved away. Today, I am more grateful than ever for our planet and the beautiful environments that surround us; nature is full of wondrous powers.
As I returned to school this year, I have recently found myself becoming completely consumed in our global environmental issues. Sometimes I ask myself whether or not this is a healthy passion of mine, because it often leads me to becoming very angry with society. The more I talk to people about nature and the environment, the more disappointed in humanity I become. I find that 85% of people I talk to are unaware of what is going on around the globe, and how they themselves are contributing. I’ve realized how people care much more about the economy than the environment, and that the more I advocate for nature, the more I get labelled as a “tree-hugging hippy”. Personally, I have no problem owning that label, it just disappoints me when people find it to be some sort of joke; the environment is not a joke, it is life, it is substance.
In a perfect world, humans would live in harmony with nature; we would love, respect, and cherish the earth we’ve been blessed with. Instead of seeing our planet as a bank account of exploitable natural resources, we would rather view it as the living, breathing thing that it truly is – Gaia. In conclusion, I urge everyone to consume themselves in all the simple, magnificent beauty this earth has to offer.
What I stand for, is what I stand on.
Sparkles In Your Soul 