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Dr. Crocker, Your course

Dr. Crocker,

Your course material does sound rather depessive, but if it spurs just a few of your students to take action to protect our ecosystem there are many of us who will be very grateful.

I have done many different jobs in my life, and have lived in several different places. The vital truth I have found for myself is that TRUE abundance is not found in the conquest of our world. It is not found in more money; in more material possessions. It is found in the Earth herself. It is found in her clean air, pure water, fertile soil, healthy plants and animals.

The time in my life that I felt happiest, most content, and with a sense of true abundance was while living in a simple farmhouse (that had started out as the barn, but they ran out of money...so!) It was in a canyon surrounded by deep forest that was alive with wild creatures.
I had no job, no money, ragtag clothes, BUT, I had a huge beautiful garden, and a couple of fruit trees. Touching the Earth, breathing clean air, drinking pure artesian well water, eating the best food ever in my life, sleeping better than I have before, or since that place in my life. This is where I found the majic in our world. This is where I recovered my heart and soul. I wanted to wake every morning and go outside to hear the first birds...maybe spot a doe in the field, feel the cool moist air of sunrise.

I have been back there to visit. The forest has been strip-logged. The animals are scarce. It is a heart-breakingly sad area now. It will take 100-300 years for the forest to grow to what it was as long as human hands leave it alone.

Please feel free to have your students read this. Our wild areas are vitally important to us as humans. We can preserve our physical bodies somewhat without them, but our hearts and souls will feel a significant loss.

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