The Lake at "The Old Mill" North Little Rock Arkansas. I felt this image would be quite fitting due to its serenity.
Is nature important to you ? Does the conservation of the natural world tug at your heart strings ?
What do you feel when you hear the howl of a grey wolf or the daybreak song of the nightingale upon an otherwise silent morning ?
To some the answer to these questions are “No’ and nothing” to these lonesome souls I feel pity, mournful at their dis-connectedness. To many the answer is “Yes, and everything” and in such people I see and feel a kindred spirit. Something that exists between solidarity and equipoise, a balance that says “we are not above the animals and plants nor below them, but right beside them in a world we must protect and nurture” and I too believe this lest we die in obscurity in that same world that will continue ever onwards with or without humankind’s interference. In this article series “Wild Hearts & Ethereal Places” I seek to raise awareness of the beautiful and wild places of our world along with the creatures who live there. To do this I intend to start right here in our own back yard. As an author based in the United States, this article series will help the disconnected and non-concerned find their place in understanding and caring about nature again. I hope to bring about a change of heart in the people of this country and abroad by highlighting our direct and indirect impact on the environment while being accompanied by a spiritual and philosophical perspective gained through a life growing up in a mixed indigenous household and a life of advocacy for both people and animals.
What are some examples of what an article may contain ?
Each Article will Focus on specific aspects of a place out in nature. For example, some articles will focus on native plants and animals and the need to support them over invasive species which alter and damage the ecosystem and how they do these things. These articles will also include what factors that caused invasive species to become present in a location. Other articles in this series will highlight places in nature that bring me a personal sense of peace through descriptive language and what I like to call “connective reflection.” Much of whether people are capable of caring about nature comes from the “why” and I hope to help people find the answer to that by looking at the natural world through my eyes.
I often joke that to understand the grass a person must actually be present and that the phrase “go touch some grass” should be taken quite literally. I would take that statement even further. Feel the warmth of the grass, sand, or soil on your feet. Listen to the sound of flowing water and the way the winds sigh and sift through the leaves and reeds. Please know that all that exists around you is a part of you, just as you are part of it. Every sound and sensation, every place and presence. As silly as it may sound to some, the world is no stranger to our presence and thus we should not be a stranger to it. We should not be apathetic to nature nor its need for us to respect and treat it with the same warmth and respect we would want for ourselves in our most eudaimonistic state. Fulfilled, balanced, and in a state of thriving. With this series “Wild Hearts & Ethereal Places” I hope to begin reversing our societal desensitization towards nature through helping others gain a new love for its depth and beauty.
