April 21st this year marked the 184th anniversary of the birth of John Muir. Muir was a noted conservationist, and truly a pioneer for environmentalism in the United States, and indeed the world. His poetic descriptions of wilderness captivated the imagination, while his outright activism helped to establish the National Parks system of the United States, the first of it's kind.
Muir followed in the footsteps of Henry David Thoreau in championing a new appreciation of the wilderness, of nature, and like Thoreau, he recognized that we human beings were enjoying a little too much success in our question to conquer it.
So today, it seemed appropriate to honor his legacy, and the greater appreciation for conservation and preservation of our unspoiled open spaces. We here in the United States have been truly blessed with some tremendous natural beauty. It has clearly been a struggle to try and preserve this beauty and serenity fully. Look at how our national parks were opened to drilling and other commercial interests in recent years. The struggle goes on.
We certainly could do worse than turn to the wisdom of one of our most profound and forward thinking writers and activists, a man who was many decades ahead of his time: John Muir.
Here are some of my personal favorite quotes from Muir:
"The battle we have fought, and are still fighting for our forests is a part of the eternal conflict of right and wrong."
― John Muir
“Earth has no sorrow that earth can not heal.”
― John Muir
“How glorious a greeting the sun gives the mountains!”
– John Muir
“In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.”
– John Muir
“The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.”
― John Muir
“When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe.”
– John Muir
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