DEBRIS.COMgood for a laugh, or possibly an aneurysm

Last year, after a lengthy exploration of several of the things that are wrong with the world, I posed the question “how can anyone with children not be an environmentalist?” It drew a response from numerous readers, some of whom who proved to me that it is possible, even now, to raise a family under the illusion of abundance.

(By “abundance” I don’t mean shelves full of trademarked food products or mega-chain coffee shops at every intersection. I mean the simple things, like clean air and clean water.)

Anyway, I found a proverb that encapsulates my feelings about the issue. It turned up in a story about a guy named Michael Deakin, who recycles old-growth redwood from Sonoma County barns. Recounting a lesson taught to him by Salish (Indian) Chief Dan George of Burret Inlet, British Columbia, Deakin said: “We didn’t inherit the land from our ancestors; we are borrowing it from our children.”

That idea fits my worldview like a favorite pair of hemp sneakers. Imagine how differently you’d act if you believed that to be true. And then tell me about it. I’m curious to hear your stories.