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 had known. 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.
