Not Just a Home for Humans

Growing up in a very loving family, I had great respect for my surroundings. My mother and father taught me how to love the world and the things in it, and over the years my love for the world has grown even more. One of my best traits, I feel, is my observation for the things around me. When I was younger I rarely talked, I would just listen and observe what people were saying and what was going on in my surroundings. By taking in all that information, I would be able to decide my opinions and realize what was important to me. Obviously, every little kid loves animals, but I was obsessed with them. This may sound weird, but I felt safer around animals than I did people.
We had woods in the back of my house, and I would always go out there for hours and hours. I would always see deer with their young. Observing them, I noticed the similarities between us and animals. Obviously, they look totally different than us, but they have the same basic instincts. They protect and nurture their young, kill for food, and defend themselves when necessary. Also, I was at a zoo in Montana one time and spent a bunch of time watching the wolf exhibit. One of the mother wolves had a young cub with her. An adult male kept harassing the cub, and the mother pretty much fought him off. A human mother would try to do the same thing for her child. I began to realize that humans and animals are pretty much the same, but with some differences. For instance, humans can have a very destructive nature. Maybe we are not trying to be destructive, but we still destroy the environment none the less. We may be advancing our society, but we are ruining something else’s.
One thing I find amazing is how not only can humans raise animals, but animals can also raise humans. There are hundreds of accounts of children being raised by animals in the wild. This should show the world just how similar we are to animals. We are all sharing the same planet. We are all part of the same environment and ecosystem. If we keep the destroying the environment then, in essence, we are destroying ourselves.
Every time I go home, the area looks a little different. Loudonville, Ohio is where I have called home for the last twenty-one years of my life. It is a small town that sits in the Mohican Valley. Many people know it as the “Canoe Capital of Ohio”. It was a great place for a child to grow up. There were hills, cliffs, forests, ponds, rivers, and streams to play in. My imagination ran like a wild horse. I could be anything I wanted. The land we lived on really hasn’t changed much because my parents would not allow it. We still have the woods behind my house, which my niece and nephew love to play in now. But, other areas of the town have changed. There used to be a large field behind my grandfather’s house that I would always play in and pretend to be an Indian warrior or something of that sort. When I was about nine or ten years old, construction for a new housing development began. Needless to say, I wasn’t allowed to play there anymore. It upset me big time. One day I decided to screw the rules and play back there anyway. I saw one of the construction workers trucks and a wave of annoyance and fury came over me, so I decided to chuck some rocks at it. It may have been the wrong thing to do, but it still made me feel better, even though they were just doing their jobs, but I was feeling a little crazy at the time. Now I go back home and I see that development. Sure, the houses are very pretty, but not as pretty as the field that once graced the land. New houses are starting to fill up the hills that overlook the valley. Now the foliage of the rolling hills in autumn are speckled with the annoyance of immense houses. It’s still a beautiful place, but is starting to loose its splendor due to the human race trying to speed up the pursuit of destroying the land and its resources. It is just a matter of time before it becomes another suburb.
There is no doubt we share this planet. Earth is the only thing alive in a dead solar system. And it won’t be for long if we continue what we are doing. Humans have to start viewing this planet as a breathing life form. It has its own pulse just like its inhabitants. Humans have the power to destroy and the power to save or create, so that means we have the responsibility to save our planet. We depend on the resources offered by the Earth. We depend on water, soil, heat, and the animals we raise and hunt. The animals depend on the same resources. RESPECT!, for the animals, the plants, the soil, the water, and the air….needs to be established. We share this world with other living beings. It’s not just a home for humans.