Today, I took an hour out of my afternoon to photograph a beautiful little family in the woods - a mother, a father, and their six-year-old girl. We spent time in the woods on a perfect early fall afternoon - this included walking around the lake just behind my neighborhood, no further than a few footsteps from my home.
While taking this family's pictures, I couldn't help but notice how carefree and jubilant the child was. She was ready to explore, to show off confidence and bravery in the way only a small child can, and above all else she was full of laughter. I got the sense that this beautiful little girl lived in a world dominated by a childlike sense of wonder, in the carefree way that only a child who has yet to see how the world really is can be.
I also couldn't help but notice the trash and plastic fluttering in the grass, wedged between rocks, and hauntingly floating in the water, a grave reminder that we too will become ghosts if we continue to exploit and degrade our fragile environment. Regardless of whether you believe climate change is real (which it is, but we'll save that for later), the plastic that never biodegrades, but suffocates the environment is undeniably real and regrettably, a consequence of human actions alone. The trash that litters forests, lakes, oceans, etc. is real. The fact that if we don't do something about the degradation of the environment soon, it will be too late, is very real too.
It doesn't take much to initiate the change you wish to see. Be mindful of how much waste you create and ways to cut back. Consider the mark you leave on all that you touch, and know that each and every one of us is responsible (at least partially) for the conservation and preservation of our planet. It is important to take action today for tomorrow could be too late. While it's true that we are the only species that contributes to the destruction of the environment in such a catastrophic way, it is also true that this planet is not ours alone, and our actions toward/manipulation of the environment affect the 8.7 million species we share the planet with.
For the sake of tomorrow, the future of the planet, and the wellbeing of future generations and sustenance of their needs, it is time to initiate the change the planet desperately needs to see. After all, "a society grows great the day that old men plant trees whose shade they know they'll never sit in."
I hope that when this beautiful little girl grows up, she will know a world that is conscious of the environment and the importance of taking the initiative to keep it clean.
Comments