April 22. Earth Day. I bet you’ve seen quite a bit on TV about Earth Day, the celebrations, the protests, the problems we face as well as the proposed solutions. If you watch TV the news is dire and grim, and the problems are overwhelming and the solutions mere drops in the bucket. So I thought today we’d stay positive and I’d like to chat with you about some things that are absolutely amazing about our planet.
Our planet breathes. Did you know that? Scientists estimate that there are more than three TRILLION trees on Earth. They also estimate our total human population to a number where there are 422 trees for each person! Each of those trees “breathes” in CO2, and “exhales” oxygen. I saw an amazing video on youtube that was put together by NASA that shows this phenomena.
Isn’t that amazing? Makes you want to go see for yourself! I have a friend who has traveled extensively and he told me a story once about standing on top of a tall hill in Africa and seeing no sign of man in any direction, and what a huge impact that had on him. Imagine…no power lines, no highways, no airliner contrails, no man made noise of any kind. Imagine how peaceful that must have been, how humbling. Imagine you’re standing on a rock and all you can see to the horizon is natural life…plants, and animals. For some people that quiet and solitude is terrifying, but for some it is liberating and reconnects you back to the natural…the way life was before engines and electricity and lights and noise.
The world is beautiful, go see as much of it as you can and don’t let the jabbering people on TV scare you into staying home. This place is amazing, and youtube does not do it justice. This planet is our home after all, wouldn’t it be a shame to live in a house and never visit the other rooms? Head out your front door some day and go see what people are like beyond the horizon. What language do they speak, what do they eat, how do they solve their problems? It is an endless journey, so get started!