I was riding my bicycle on a gorgeous spring day, admiring the blossoms adorning the hawthorne and apple trees, the catkins hanging long on the alders, the smell of flowers in the air, and loving the blue sky and the sun warm on my skin.
There’s pulse of anger every time I see an animal struck by a vehicle. Of course, I drive but I keep alert and keep my speed down purposely to avoid hitting animals. I can’t recall the last time I struck a vertebrate. And never have I killed or injured a large mammal. My guess is that with a major campaign to get people to slow down as a matter of practice we could cut the road slaughter at least in half. And what about driving during twilight hours or at night…I could go in and on. The truth is there are too many roads and highways built and being built to accommodate more and more people. We’re grossly overgrown and grossly disrespectful of other life as a civilization. Those two factors account for much of the mess we’ve made of our beloved Earth. The sooner we get people to understand this the better.
A beautiful rendering of the despair that lurks within many of us who believe in Rachel Carson’s words:
"Those who dwell among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life." When we see the destruction of the natural world because of the human decision to sacrifice beauty and mystery on the altar of convenience and “us first,” we grieve.
It's crushing, isn't it? (pun not intended). So depressing. Here in the UK, in the South East where I Iive, it's badgers and foxes and deer that are road-killed. Many in spring, when animals move more in search of mates, or when youngsters leave nests and dens in search of independence. So sad.
Powerful pause for reflection.... and reminds that originally it was "The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways", from wikipedia, "Eisenhower also gained an appreciation of the Reichsautobahn system, the first "national" implementation of modern Germany's Autobahn network, as a necessary component of a national defense system while he was serving as Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Europe during World War II...The Reichsautobahn system was the beginning of the German autobahns under Nazi Germany."
There’s pulse of anger every time I see an animal struck by a vehicle. Of course, I drive but I keep alert and keep my speed down purposely to avoid hitting animals. I can’t recall the last time I struck a vertebrate. And never have I killed or injured a large mammal. My guess is that with a major campaign to get people to slow down as a matter of practice we could cut the road slaughter at least in half. And what about driving during twilight hours or at night…I could go in and on. The truth is there are too many roads and highways built and being built to accommodate more and more people. We’re grossly overgrown and grossly disrespectful of other life as a civilization. Those two factors account for much of the mess we’ve made of our beloved Earth. The sooner we get people to understand this the better.
A beautiful rendering of the despair that lurks within many of us who believe in Rachel Carson’s words:
"Those who dwell among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life." When we see the destruction of the natural world because of the human decision to sacrifice beauty and mystery on the altar of convenience and “us first,” we grieve.
It's crushing, isn't it? (pun not intended). So depressing. Here in the UK, in the South East where I Iive, it's badgers and foxes and deer that are road-killed. Many in spring, when animals move more in search of mates, or when youngsters leave nests and dens in search of independence. So sad.
Powerful pause for reflection.... and reminds that originally it was "The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways", from wikipedia, "Eisenhower also gained an appreciation of the Reichsautobahn system, the first "national" implementation of modern Germany's Autobahn network, as a necessary component of a national defense system while he was serving as Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Europe during World War II...The Reichsautobahn system was the beginning of the German autobahns under Nazi Germany."
Beautifully put, Elizabeth, and heartbreaking.