One amazing, driven man — John Muir. His words still echo
He said: “One touch of nature makes all the world kin.”
I feel close to him now, thanks to Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan and the 2009 PBS TV series they produced called “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea.”
The series was repeated this year to mark the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service coming on Aug. 25.
I was left with these lasting impressions:
- First, the breathtaking beauty of our planet
- Second, the predictable nature of men to turn tree pulp, and mountain side and magnificent vistas into money, profit and commercial empires.
- Third, the passion of a few individuals who blocked bulldozers and greed
- And fourth, the connection people discover and cherish when they walk among trees and streams and mountain cathedrals.
John Muir was an engineer, naturalist and wordsmith. His voice became a drumbeat for modern environmental movements.
He helped form the Sierra Club and National Audubon Society and was instrumental in preserving America’s wilderness.
His words resonated with many, including President Theodore Roosevelt, who doubled the number of sites in the National Park system.
He and Muir hiked and camped together and shared a common bond with nature’s treasures.
Muir said:
Between every two pine trees there is a door leading to a new way of life. ... The mountains are calling, and I must go.
He didn’t tell people how to feel. He just invited them to follow him. He knew what would happen. I have felt it. And I am sure you have, too.
I'm Lonny Cain, and that's my Perspective.
