Okay, first things first:
1. If you haven't heard Jack Johnson's song "Good People" click here.
2. If you live at least 10 min from a state park and haven't visited it, you're wrong. It's a beautiful day. Go now.
3. One bug was harmed during the writing of this blog. I accidentally chewed it up because it magically found it's way into my McDonald's sweet tea.
4. You might not agree with what I say, and hey that's okay!
I am currently sitting on a peninsula at Thousand Hills State park in Kirksville, Mo, surrounded by a lake and tall trees with juvenile bald eagles soaring above my head. This scene is what inspired the message below:
I am a firm believer that beauty is everywhere. It is in the wind (Pocahontas reference). It is in people. It is in the world.
We, human beings, live in a world full of beautiful things, but obviously we have to survive and to do so we must destroy. No matter how many times they prayed to the spirits, Native Americans still cut down huge sycamore trees for canoes. The tree huggers in New York are walking on destroyed ground covered by a concrete jungle. Destroy isn't necessarily a negative term here, just truthful. This destruction of the beauty around us MUST remind people to appreciate. So next time you flush the toilet (average 3.5 gallons per flush) be appreciative that you aren't pooping in the woods wiping your butt with poison ivy.
My optimistic outlook may not convince you, whoever you may be, but you must know that YOU belong to this world of beauty. There is stress and hardships all around you, but somewhere nearby is a beautiful reason for living. Given the chance to belong here, it is your duty to appreciate the beauty in your life, whether it be the ground supporting each step you take, or the kid who sits next to you in class and looks off your paper making you feel a little bit better about yourself.
Now, I'm not an environmental psycho or tree hugger, but I do not think it's right to waste beautiful things without appreciation. I'm also not much of a believer in a higher creator, but I am a believer in myself. I believe I can create a beautiful life from the beautiful things around me, and I believe you can too.
So to answer the question (spoken in an Albus Dumbledore voice):
appreciate people, for then you will have found the good.
bah dum tsss.
