For a week, I was depressed about my world after seeing Avatar. All was concrete, except for the unnaturally molded shrubs that weren't even native. Suburbia choked me until I just wanted to escape, daydreaming constantly about a lush, beautiful alien moon. But then I went to the park, and later went on vacation, and I realized that Earth is not dead. Just looking around is evidence enough--the prairie, the forest, the tree-lined roads that border cornfields, the interstate roads where you see nothing of civilization but your own road for miles on end. Too often we surround ourselves in concrete until we forget the beauty at our back door, and then look at Avatar screenshots to try to salve our depression. This is not the solution.

I'm not saying that Avatar isn't an amazing movie. (Are you kidding? Would I even BE on this forum if it wasn't my favorite?) What I'm saying is that we don't have to go to another planet to find beauty--we have to protect our own. No matter why you care, or what you think is the biggest issue, you were made with the responsibility of taking care of the natural beauty God made (check Genesis and see if I'm not right). So next time you see litter, pick it up. Next time you leave a room, turn the fan off. Next time you finish a coke, make the trek to the garage recycling bin instead of throwing it away. And just as the jungle will reclaim the land ravaged by the RDA, so will our planet heal if we give it time.

So what is my exhortation? Never give up on Earth. There's no reason to. Get outside and appreciate the solitude; if we are to have sound mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health we need to spend time outdoors. In sum, GET YOUR REAR END OFF THE COMPUTER AND TAKE A NATURE WALK!

*steps off soap box*

Well, there you go. Are you going to act on it?