I love a nice hot shower. Clean water. Like you would not believe. I like to drink it. I like to swim around in it. I love that crystal clear water. I truly hope we always have it around.
But lately, it seems, like our country is wiping it away in fell swoops. Yes, I will just say it. Trump has knocked back our environmental protections by decades. In his first 50 days.
Trump promised during the campaign to get rid of the Environmental Protection Agency “in almost every form.” As stated by National Geographic: “The White House is planning massive cuts to the agency, potentially wiping out up to a quarter of its $8.1 billion budget and eliminating as many as 3,000 jobs.”
Some of the items on the chopping block? Everything from cleanup projects, and scientific research. Also, the office which is responsible for enforcing air quality standards looks to be a goner. And of course… the old “myth” of global warming? Any funding related to climate change is at risk of being zeroed out. There it is.
A lot of people are in favor of this, amazingly. They are mostly the folks who see the economy as the only driving force. The almighty dollar. Yep. Cutting all these restrictions will absolutely make it easier for big corporations to turn a buck. They will no longer have to follow guidelines for dumping waste, filtering air, and all those “bothersome” things. Never mind the future generations who have to live here for centuries to come. Our kids, grandkids, and on.
So, more money. Go USA. More money. Go USA. I heard a funny, not so funny, slogan today. “America. Where you can go to take a break from science.”
There it is. Again.
When I was a kid, my Dad was always teaching us kids a lot of things. One of those life lessons? “If you take good care of your stuff, it will last longer.” And he was right.
Our Planet Earth is some of our most sacred stuff. And once we jack it around, we are in a big heap of trouble. Trouble…. that money can’t buy our way out of. This wisdom, about our sacred Planet Earth, is as old as time. Just as a random example, the environmental wisdom and spirituality of North American Indians is legendary.
The land was respected. Animals were respected. There was no concept of private property in land, and the idea that it could be bought and sold was offensive. Indians had an incredible appreciation of nature’s beauty. There was a widespread belief in a Great Spirit who created the earth, and who pervaded everything. There were sacred places where they would not live, but only visit, as places of worship.
This is one of many societies throughout history, which has recognized the importance of caring for our planet. We might want to take notice.
Hey. Of course I am not the President, or even a politician. I am not an economist. I am not an environmentalist. But I have a good measure of common sense sewn into my genes. To illustrate. I ask people not to pee in my swimming pool. No one wants to swim around in someone else’s urine.
And this is my point exactly.
America… quit peeing in the pool. Trump…. quit peeing in my drinking water. I mean it.
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“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.”
― Epicurus
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“Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson
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“What separates privilege from entitlement is gratitude.”
― Brené Brown
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