Sky's the Limit...

Recently I have been reading "The Wild Trees," by Richard Preston... it is a fascinating book about pioneering adventurers who explore the mightiest trees in the world.

These trees are not the 6 or 8 foot variety whose young lives we cut short to decorate our living rooms for a week or two in December, or even the 40 or 50 footers we plant to shade our homes or beautify our front yards.

Many of these gentle giants rise 350 feet or more into the sky, are more than 25 feet in diameter at the base and are over 1000 years old! Yes, that's right- more than a millennium- some perhaps 2000-3000 years old.

Nestled in the alluvial plains near creek beds in coastal northern California, the mighty redwood forests- what remains of them stand proud- deeply rooted in the earth where they have lived for hundreds and hundreds of years. Once the land was filled with them, but now they are now scarce.

According to Preston, less than 4% of the mighty trees that stood when the westward expansion of the 1840s and 50s arrived around the time of the gold boon still stand today. The rest of them have been felled by logging companies and builders- cut down to clear the way for "progress." A precious few remain- some of which are just now beginning to be explored. It has been speculated by some that perhaps up to half of the world's undiscovered species live in the canopies of the great forests. There is a whole world up there that only a handful of humans have seen. The world of the mighty trees is a vast, robust new frontier that must be protected and sustained before it disappears.

I lived in Oregon for about six years during my adolescence. One of our favorite places to go was the beautiful Oregon coast- with its rugged rock formations, awe-inspiring surf and majestic vistas. There are few sights more breath-taking than seeing the sun set out across the ocean against the rugged silhouette of Haystack Rock. We made many trips there during our residence in Oregon.

It always broke my heart, though, to drive through the coastal mountains and see for miles around nothing but bare stumps on muddy hillsides where once great trees had stood. I know that we rely on the lumber industry for most of our furniture and paper goods, but seeing that unforgettable site caused me to ask time and again- 'Is it really worth it??' Is the damage our consumption habits and tastes as Americans is doing to the earth really worth it??

We are cutting the forests bare, fishing to the point of endangering many species of fish, polluting the seas and the earth and the air to an extent greater than anytime in the history of humankind. To use a bad mixed metaphor or note of irony- global warming is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the damage human industry and consumerism is doing to the earth.

The technology existed decades ago to complete convert our power generation and vehicles to renewable energy such as solar power and other fuels that are much less harmful to the environment. Who prevented this? The oil industry, the auto industry and all the other big energy special interest lobbies who have tens of billions of $$$ contingent on continuing to rape the earth with reckless abandon. They have the big money, they have the big lawyers, they have the media mouthpieces to propagandize- and so far big industry has had their way.

It doesn't have to be that way in the future though- we can each help make a difference. Support local and national efforts to protect the environment, clean up neighborhoods, reduce waste, recycle, promote renewable energy sources.

There is a saying from a cartoon that is pretty telling of the human condition that says "I've seen the enemy and it is us!" We are our own worst enemies when we allow ourselves to become blinded by short-term profit or hollow gains and lose our vision and soul.

Like the mighty redwoods, in order to grow, be healthy and flourish we need to be grounded and connected in mind body & spirit to that nourishment that sustains rather than feeding our limitless appetite for destruction. After all- we were created in God's image. Our faith is the fertile soil that nourishes our lives- for "...with God, all things are possible."

Peace in the Lord,

John