The place where land meets water has always been an important and valued location. Mesopotamia, one of the first recorded civilizations, arose between two rivers, the Euphrates and Tigris. Here the people found an area capable of sustaining all life. They had water to drink, someplace to bathe, and irrigation for their crops. Not only were humans able to survive near this water source, but so was all of nature. Plants and animals thrived in close proximity to this water supply.
This piece of history comes to mind when in front of me I see a copper-toned river that looks much clearer today than it did last week. I see the possibility of growth in and around this water. Like those Mesopotamians, I know how important and valuable water is in my own life. I feel safe by this body of water and I also know it connects with other water sources that provide for my needs and the needs of others. This narrow creek is quiet and poses no threat to me. I see how it nourishes plants and small animals. I am fortunate. Living close to a reliable water source is something to enjoy and be grateful for, but I also know that there is a power to all water that is something to fear.
In the past month, our country and island nations south of the U.S., have been hit twice with very powerful hurricanes. Water has poured hour after hour through streets, demolishing buildings, roads, and trees. Families have lost their animals, their possessions, and their homes; some have even had loved ones taken from them. Looking now at this peaceful creek in front of me, I am taken back by how something so calming can become something so harmful. I only see the growth and nourishment this creek brings to all of nature around me; yet on TV, I see image and image of how charging water destroys a natural environment and takes away the lives and livelihoods of others. Beautiful creeks can turn into weapons of destruction. Nervous for what the future may hold, I ask myself what caused this and why is no one trying to prevent such a devastating thing from happening?
In A Sand County Almanac, the author Leopold describes a land ethic as the affirmed right for resources, such as soil, water, plants, and animals, to continue to exist.
“This sounds simple: do we not already sing our love for and obligation to the land of the free and the home of the brave? Yes, but just what and whom do we love? Certainly not the soil, which we are sending helter-skelter downriver. Certainly not the waters, which we assume have no function except to turn turbines, float barges, and carry off sewage. Certainly not the plants, of which we exterminate whole communities without batting an eye. Certainly not the animals, of which we have already extirpated many of the largest and most beautiful species.”
Leopold goes on to say that although we may recognize that it is bad to destroy the environment, people do not understand the consequences of its destruction, and therefore are negligent and do nothing to change their behavior. He says: “Conservation is a state of harmony between men and land.”
The hurricanes that we are seeing this month are at least partially due to a lack of that harmony and the horrid actions of humans towards their environment. One of those actions involves our use of coal and oil. As we continue to increase the amount of fossil fuels that we use, we expand the “greenhouse effect.” The increased amount of greenhouse gasses that are trapped in the earth’s atmosphere then causes temperatures to rise. In simplest terms, these hurricanes are caused by warm air rising, pushing the colder air down, and going into a cycle of high to low pressure, causing a cyclone effect. Conservation of the land cannot occur when ‘men’ are working against the environment. Hurricanes that bring the terrible destruction of floods is just one consequence of our failure to protect our environment and it resources.
The creek in front of me, and the land around it are important. I need to value how they impact my life and how they live in harmony with ‘man.’ The hurricanes this month are a reminder of that. Since ancient times water has been a vital strength in our world, but the power and destruction of these recent hurricanes demonstrates how that strength can turn against us; our actions and lack of concern for environmental harmony can help turn water into a very dangerous threat. It is important to be aware of how we treat the world around us, because it will in turn treat us the same.