Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012, April 28, 1992, Page 3, Image 3

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    COMMENTARY
Open your eyes and go hug a tree
By H ■ ".I'd Jans
Wake up' What s going on
here’ This is a ct.ii/,v.
Si'll S IT less . disgust mg,
dr spiritualizing, f u - rd ale
strurtion of our own hfc-siip
port system, our sense of self,
our relationships with other
human beings and with all nth
er living tilings
Life IS not reaping evef v Vre
source," therein I reeling a liar
reti, poisoned cemetery out of
our planet It’s not genocide of
the people who held the is is
dom of hois to live in tune is ith
the earth It s not believing that
our technology will hail ns out.
because it got us here, arid will
only dig our grase deeper
It’s not .in elite controlled so
i lets It's not making a liv ing as
is e knois ft I t s not bOrt-dom
and how can I distrait iniselt
front this is orthles . joh i ll 's not
a lonely, confused country of
nuclear, dysfunciion.il I.undies
which claim instant patriotism
when going oil to ssar It's not
separate, corrupt, selfish reli
gions which alienate them
selves It s not siirlii ial rela
tumships It's not people who
have lost their bond with lie
lure It’s not about greed and
what will keep MH completely
and comfortably enclosed from
the real tori es of the universe
Had enough7 The list could
go on and on
We still must he in the denial
stage it we are not taking daily
action in our lues to change
this mess Our generation is go
mg to see in a) or crises result lie
cause of the way we live, and it
seems we are waiting tor them
to happen before we change
Picture a lets possible sir
nano The earth’s population
has doubled in to years The
ec Qtiumv has fi.M nine so had
that Congress has reversed all
findangered Spri les V Is and
Wilderr.ess 1 JeMgn.itions ■ un
leash more resouri es to fuel the
economy In burning non re
Hew able resou 11 . ■■■ n e ha 1 e de
stroved the OZoli. layer \ irtii
ally .ill ei ■ Si :u hale here
dost roved exi ept hr one
i m k 1' all he s rats opossums
and humans, which now face a
poisoned lundsi ape. polluted
air and water, and massive stai
1 atloll
What heluus the earth be
tails mil!!. (Ibild .Seattle salii
Main Native Americans hov i
prophtisnil thr earth will soon
purity itself ami rheum.He tin
cam or' that has plagued it
long enough How many bigger
hints do we Heed to tell Us We
are overpopulated disease
famine, ecocide, war, drug ad
ciil lion, suicide, h imicide. do
mestic violence, depression
And we re complaining the
economy Is had tier ause we're
not able to acquire .is much as
we once did Our economy is
an indicator of greed, ultimate
|y based on growth and the pro
curement of natural resources
We cannot have infinite growth
in a finite world WV blindly
consume liiw there is no end
and bury the waste
At our present rale of i on
sumption, there will he no
more oil left in approximately
.)() years We have already start
ed to fight over oil, but jusl
wait until all the countries that
depend on it are fighting over
the last reserves The threat of
nuclear war will he much great
er
Industry and high-level gov
I'tir i-m!. ignoring blatant warn
mgs vvi: . !il ; ik> : ■ make \ nu
!,' . hi vv . .ill's i r i;:i ,ss out
ill In i '. or depute .m\ Dltirf
resonri Mil's neglei t to tell
sou !h.it huiiMn-. has!• exhaust
i'il iii i ". and T'-m mu i s ;s tin s
ii.is i settled (ro j>• ii till- sviirId
from r.isl lo ssi’s!; hrginning III
tin- M oldie ! is!, s|iri'.ui i ti
through lairopi .uni i iinlinuing
into tin' \,'ss World NSisv tii.it
s\ i ■ st .linuist deplcti d till' Wrst
( II.1st S old: growth, vs r lii'.id
into ( ‘ ntr.il and .South Anicrii a
and i s its other Irontier'
Planting Inn's is no exi use
lor lotting dossil old growth
Wo .in- turning our national lor
lists into Doug!.is hr tree farms
In tlii' process ss r are losing
a a i assist' ,iriiruul plant, .md
fungi spue ms not nii-ri• 1 v tin'
spoiled owl pi sti : i hlld I In
soil has Ih'i'll 11-.11 !iid ot .ill nu
irtrnts ,ind wien tin ■ l< ai 1 mat
ter i an lertili/e it, massive soil
erodes. ss .itl'r HI.' in- pulkit.rd
arid iaiidsi .i j >i • is sis i ss Is turn I'd
into dr si a t Wtii :; ss i usi re
s o u r i i's al a i o in p 11't •• I \
unsustainable rati', id i nurse
our ai ononis is going to de
f 11 n i •'
'flit' timber industry s.ii' hu
mans arc more important than
spoiled oss is Hi is statement
makes absolutely no sense
Their point is that human prol
its are more important than the
hie ol the spotted owl Humans
•ire not going extinct, although
it would help it ssr were II sou
really think human life is nu
porlant. then you ssiil rrall/.e
svr depend on all spin ies in our
ecosystem lor our survival, in
eluding the spotted oss
We cannot dens vs ■ .ire ,i p.u t
ol nature It just lakes ,i hasii
ecology lesson or the \ativi
Amerii an bel.rl tii.it .ill tilings
are ioiiniu ted in r<•.11 i.*v this
Sometimes 1 w ntirr if many of
Us have 11 Ulilllv hilii iHl 1'1 ologV
lesson
VVf. have hern |>•>r.it«*<l from
the natural professes of the
earth lot so long -tli.il we no
longer have .on respei t tor it
We have lost tooth with our
selves ami other living beings
We nilist look to the re.11 tea* h
ers atlil the eiders of the ones
who Ine in unison with the
earth lit else we vv ill perish 111
vain We must slow down this
deceptive. l ast ailing wave of
greed and see tilings as they
are
Huw. have v oil been t.iIked
into a ios! tor the fabrii '.a ted
mater nils ot tin- w of l.d ' You
i ani keep repressing the hoiid
w ill! nature that we or.il e had
it's i re.ilmg the void in all
o! our lives And hv idling this
v oid vs iIII materials sorfii lal
r e I a t u >ta s} laps Ids. hopes and
lies in will sun'iv tin.I death
lor .ill fill lire life and relation
ships on our planet
! 1 si a; alii mg s 111 w down
compromise on your false life
style, lie constantly aware ol
the effei Is of your i on sumption
of each and ev erv ptoiiui t Ot
servile who's p r o 1111 ng.
who s fieing exploited, and
what are the i onseipieiices to
the earth, find something s.i
i red. get to tea I Iv know V our
v ironment around you figure
our how you cun change lilts
mi ss atI take respon •.. I n 111 v In!
HI tx ! you ii tie a hell of a lot
happier. The worst you can do
is laugh and perpetuate this
Rii li.ml /a/)s is an unr/im/in/
ogv in.i/or .1/ !hi■ famiTMti
Classifieds
346'4 343
Put Your Ideas
In Print
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Orcynn Daily KllKTald
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Orecycuv;
I
THE FAR SIDE
By GARY (ARSON
Concepts ot hell