the view from space
"Commander Eileen Collins said astronauts on shuttle Discovery had seen widespread environmental destruction on Earth and warned on Thursday that greater care was needed to protect natural resources.
'Sometimes you can see how there is erosion, and you can see how there is deforestation. It's very widespread in some parts of the world,' Collins said in a conversation from space with Japanese officials in Tokyo...'The atmosphere almost looks like an eggshell on an egg, it's so very thin,' she said. 'We know that we don't have much air, we need to protect what we have.'--Reuters8/4/05
Why don't you take a minute and thank God for life? Thank Him for life on this planet, for the lives of the ones you love and hold close. Thank Him for the sky being blue, the grass being green, and the wind keeping us cool. Then take a minute and curse yourself for the sky not being blue, for living in a civilization that encourages a wealth of poor building practices and standards of living. Go ahead, step back, it's ok...I just did.
If we all took thirty seconds...one minute...five minutes...from our day and just sat and observed life on this planet, thinking positive thoughts about the wonderment of it all, we would begin to change the way life works here. Spend that time staring at clouds or a body of water; spend it watching a horse gallop or a bird fly; spend it watching grass grow or the effects of wind blowing for that matter. Just as it's important to spend time in any relationship in order for it to nurture and grow--and yes, survive--it's equally important or more so to spend time enjoying being in the presence of the Planet we inhabit and share life with. It might not be the most "effective" time of your day, in the cultural definition of the word, but watch and see how effective a time it is from a humanistic standpoint.
Well I could write so much more on this subject, and I will in the future. This is just a start. Just remember: It's not too late, you can make a difference, and all it needs to start is a single thought.