Yes, I'm radical, trying to preserve nature. Ever wonder why trying to protect the last few trees or the last of our fish or the last healthy reef labels you as a radical? One would think that those wanting to cut the last tree, harvest the last fish or build an entire town next to the last healthy reef in Maui would be more radical?
What motivates a radical environmentalist like myself to preserve our natural resources? Surely I must be benefiting somehow. Perhaps it has something to do with natural resources being necessary to sustain all life on Earth, including our own. That seems like pretty good incentive.
But instead of preserving we seem to insist on extracting, paving over, drilling into, exploiting, consuming and exhausting every natural resource. Why? So we can have more money to buy more things to fill the never-ending void in our lives while in pursuit of the great American dream.
So what do rich people do with all that money? They buy waterfront property with mountain and ocean views in an attempt to surround themselves with nature. Why? Because we all have an innate connection to the natural world since it provides us with the air we breathe, the water we drink, is the source of all the food we eat and is the only thing that fills the never-ending void. Maybe we could skip the pursuit and simply enjoy nature right from the start. Now that's radical.
Mark Deakos
Lahaina
