In my youth, there were habits most people in our country
cultivated that would seem very odd in the modern era.
One example.
In the 1960’s it was
not unusual for people who were travelling on the highways or camping/picnicking
in the USA to toss the garbage they had accumulated out into the environment –
the idea of taking the trash and depositing it in a bin was not the norm.
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| Not an unusual sight in the 1960's |
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| Looks like a 3rd world beach doesn't it? |
Shortly after
President Kennedy was murdered, the new presidents wife, Lady Bird Johnson,
started making a big push to help clean up the highways of the United States. Everywhere
you went, there were billboards
and TV commercials
inviting us to dispose of trash properly rather than sending it to the wind.
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| Lady Bird Johnson - by all accounts a very good person. |
Mrs. Johnson was very
successful in her efforts and the roadways of the country began to look more
pristine.
In high school (late 60's and early 70's), I was
introduced to the idea of doing more to preserve the environment. I recall one young
lady who handed out Greenpeace stickers and tried to get us to join her club. She asked us all to put the stickers on our
lockers or vehicles to remind others of the serious need to be better stewards
of the environment. Her challenge was to change habits that resulted in destroying
the beauty of our planet. The majority thought she was weird, but we humored
her (it
was cool to put things on the locker).
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| This is a patch, but we had stickers like this for our lockers. |
Mostly, I was
oblivious to the movement and didn’t jump right in or join the “crowd” in their
activism. But the message continued with enough encouragement that it influenced the citizens
of the USA to think more about being responsible. Eventually, the norm changed to NOT LITTERING and our land looked less and
less like a garbage dump.
Like many others, I found
that making changes was a slow and often annoying process (who would
deny that it is easier to throw stuff out the window than to bag the refuse?).
But the results of a slow, comprehensive effort by the millions of Americans brought
about a much cleaner environment and a more comfortable and attractive landscape.
Fifty years later, the
idea of throwing litter out the windows of our cars is offensive (though I will
admit to having let a few orange peels fall out of my hand over the decades).
I am grateful for
people like Mrs. Johnson, who took the initiative to help us learn to be better
stewards of our environment. The results are considerable, and the habits of
most Americans have been shaped by her efforts.
BUT!!
Dare I say it?
Yes, because it is true!
As always happens,
there were people/organizations who took a GOOD thing
and turned it into something totally warped from the original intent.
There will always be a
small faction in the world who will corrupt a good thing
in order to benefit their personal status/wealth – and those changes, as a
rule, create greater challenges for the average person.
I love that the air
we breathe is much cleaner than when I was growing up (we lived in mining towns and
the smoke from the smelters often covered our homes).
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| When the wind was "just right" this smoke, full of sulfur and other nasty things would settle on our town. If it was a playground time, all the kids had to go back in so they wouldn't get too much in their lungs. |
The cars we drive are
way more efficient (mileage-wise) and safer for the occupants.
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| Except vehicles that look like this! (yes, I know it is diesel but that doesn't make it any less nasty) |
The highways we
travel are MUCH more pleasant because there aren’t piles of litter (some still
can’t resist – I’m sure it’s the visitors 😉).
And I’m glad that many
of the mining and harvesting tactics of the past have been eliminated in wilderness
areas.
But there are many people/corporations who have used the idea of “conservation” to further
their own personal wealth generation…
…at the expense of those
who cannot defend themselves!!
(This is where my Al Gore
link fits.)
In many cases, all of the effects of some changes are at the expense of regular citizens who want to experience the wonders of this
world without paying exorbitant fees (taxes, entrance costs, etc.).
A relevant experience
from the Book of Mormon comes to mind.
In the days of the
Jaredites, a righteous king seemed to have things in order so that his people
could have places of beauty AND still access the necessary resources. Here are
the pertinent verses:
And it came to pass
that Lib also did that which was good in the sight of the Lord. And in the days
of Lib the poisonous serpents were destroyed. Wherefore they did go into the
land southward, to hunt food for the people of the land, for the land was
covered with animals of the forest. And Lib himself became a great hunter.
And they built a
great city…by the place where the sea divides the land. And they did preserve
the land southward for a wilderness, to get game. And the whole face of the
land northward was covered with inhabitants. (Ether
10:19-21)
Taking care of the
environment is essential to protecting the gifts given to us by God. He has
placed us on this earth to care for His work (people, animals, land, etc.)
which is eternal. When we abuse what we have been given we are disrespecting
the favors of our loving Father.
But when we try to exercise
dominion over others - purportedly to save the environment - for personal
gain (wealth,
power, influence, etc.), we have made a mockery of the gifts God has
given.
If you read one
chapter before the previous quote, you find the reason for the abundance of
serpents that kept the people out of the fertile land to the south:
But the people believed
not the words of the prophets, but they cast them out; and some of them
they cast into pits and left them to perish… And it came to pass that there began
to be a great dearth upon the land and the inhabitants began to be destroyed
exceedingly fast because of the dearth, for there was no rain upon the face of
the earth. And there came forth poisonous serpents also upon the face of the
land, and did poison many people. And it came to pass that their flocks began
to flee before the poisonous serpents… (Ether
9:31-33)
The people had become
so wicked and abusive of the gifts given by God that they were denied the full
glory/beauty of the world where they lived. It took many years and a change in
attitude to experience the things in the first quote.
I want this earth to
be as beautiful as Eden when Jesus comes to be with us. The works of SO MANY
will be rewarded as they continue to make our home planet more like Eden. But when
the greedy begin to twist the purposes of God (in any way), there will be a
price to pay.
Conversely, there will
be an accounting for those who are frivolous with the resources and beauty of
our home.
The gifts of God are
great (we just have to acknowledge their goodness and be wise in their use) and He
will provide for our mortal needs and prepare us for the eternal blessings He
has to offer.
I trust Him to do His
work.
I will also do my
best to do as He has asked,
that the beauty of this world will be a testament of
our desire to live like He does. mw
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