1999-2019: Celebrating 20 Years of Ripples!
Ripples #1039: Refrains of Nature!
Apr 22, 2019
PEBBLE
We have not inherited this earth from our parents…we have borrowed it from our children and we must be careful to use it in their interests as well as our own.
-Moses Henry Cass*, shared by Holly in Phoenix, AZ (see postscript for additional information about the quote source)
BOULDER
Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature – the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.
-Rachel Carson, shared by Leslie in Madison, WI
PONDER
Happy Earth Day!
One of my favorite Earth Day rituals is to revisit a charming 4-minute video that combines Carl Sagan reading a brief passage from his book, “Pale Blue Dot” with a backdrop of stunning time lapse photography of various natural and man-made landscapes. (For those who would appreciate a lighter take on the same passage, check out Adam Winnik’s whimsically animated video.)
I recognize that reasonable people can disagree about what to prioritize and how to seek the ideal balance of enjoying and conserving our natural resources. Still, I think we can ALL recognize the truth in Sagan’s acknowledgement that at least for right now, this is the only option we’ve got as far as a place to live.
Let’s agree to spend extra time this week appreciating what we love about the planet while at the same time renewing our commitment to both ENJOY and PROTECT the earth which is, as Sagan points out, “the only home we’ve ever known.”
Are you in?
Peace,
Paul
The Ripples Guy
*P.S. Today’s Pebble has been attributed to many sources, so I turned to QuoteInvestigator.com for help. They conclude this saying most likely evolved from a passage in noted environmentalist Wendell Barry’s 1971 “The Unforseen Wilderness.” I preferred the wording used in a 1974 speech by an Australian Conservation Minister and therefore listed him as the source.