Shameka Conway
Professor Kuhta
English 122
11 October 2015
Natural World Responsibility
Natural resources are what we need every day to survive such as air, water and food. Because we rely so heavily on these resources, it is our duty to protect them and ensure they are not depleted. The naturalist’s perception is that we must preserve our resources before they are diminished. The human race will become extinct if our resources are depleted. We obtain our food from plants and animals, our drinking water comes from rivers, and clean air is also needed to breath. If the plants and animals die we no longer have food, and if the rivers dry up we won’t have water. However in today’s world we have forgotten how important those resources are. We can’t survive without them.
Although we have a right and responsibility to protect our resources, many may feel we have minimal power or free will to do so. “And if the wilderness is our true home, and if it is threatened with invasion, pillage and destruction-as it currently is- then we have the right to defend that home, as we would our’ private quarters, by whatever means are necessary.”(Abbey 349). We have a divine human right to protect our home but we must not hurt each other in the process. “Eco-defense is risky but sporting; unauthorized but fun; illegal but ethically imperative. “ (Abbey 349). “Spike those trees; you won’t hurt them; they’ll be grateful for the protection; and you may save the forest. Loggers hate nails.” (Abbey 349). “It’s good for trees, it’s good for the woods, and it’s good for the human soul.”(Abbey 349). Yes we could spike the trees and temporarily prevent their destruction; however, in spiking the trees we must think of who we are hurting. If we spike the trees we are hurting thousands of other humans. If we spike the trees how will the logger get paid and feed his family. Not only will be hurting the loggers, we may hurt ourselves if we are caught committing this illegal activity. Although spiking trees isn’t legal there are other ways we can protect our environment.
While we need natural resources to survive a lot of humans have forgotten such resources even exist. “Industrialism and urbanism have changed all this. One can live and work in a town without being of the daily march of the sun across the sky; without ever seeing the moon and stars.” (Huxley 366). “He is the inhabitant of an artificial universe that is, to a great extent, walled off from the world of nature.” (Huxley 366). With the advancement of technology, it is easy to forget or overlook nature’s gifts. For example kids today don’t know the joys of going outside and playing in the nearby creek or drawing the initials of their first crush in the tree at the local park. Instead children spend their days playing on computers or in front of a television.
We have been blindsided by present day in relation to our natural resources. Today’s world revolves around money. Today survival is defined by the money we have and the way we make a living. Money is the motivation in today’s society. “If it don’t make dollaz, it don’t make sense.” (DJ Quik). With this mindset, it is easy to forget about necessities such as clean air and water. “We have a new consciousness; but it has been purchased at the expense of the old consciousness.” (Huxley 366). Adults spend their days working hard at the office or enjoying a cold beer watching Sunday football. We have little remembrance of how it feels to sit on the porch and listen to the sounds of the world.
We as humans have a right and duty to protect our environment. Although we live in modern times there are other ways we can preserve our environment. Instead of diving we can bike to our destination or carpool so there are less cars polluting our air. Separating and recycling our garbage is a simple way that we can all contribute to the preservation of our environment. Human adults must introduce their children to the luxuries they enjoyed as children and relive those luxuries themselves. Try disconnecting from the world of technology for one day and spend the day or even a week outdoors during free time. Rather than dwell on the damages cause to our resources look ahead. “Everything that has already happened is particles, everything in the future is waves.” (Dillard 357). Instead of being blindsided by the modern world we must reconnect with the natural world and once again learn to appreciate our habitat for a better future.

Works Cited
Abbey, Edward. "Eco-Defense." Reading Literature and Writing Argument. Ed. Missy James and Alan Merickel. 5th ed. Boston: Pearson, 2013. 348 - 349. Print.

Dillard, Annie. “The Present.” Reading Literature and Writing Argument. Ed. Missy James and Alan Merickel. 5th ed. Boston: Pearson, 2013.356 - 357. Print.

Huxley, Aldous. “Time and the Machine.” Reading Literature and Writing Argument. Ed. Missy James and Alan Merickel. 5th ed. Boston: Pearson, 2013. 365 - 366. Print.
DJ Quik. Dollaz and Sense. Dj Quik, 1994. CD.