River Reflections
I believe that everyone needs some place where they can go to reflect upon life…and where they can hope to find perspective on the world in which they live. I have always gone to a river when perplexed by life issues, or in need of reassurance of my own worth in a world which places little value on the things I cherish. Seldom have I left a river without finding answers to specific questions, or a general peace of mind I could not have found anywhere else.
I remember the first time I saw a river as a small boy. I was absolutely enthralled by what I saw. I considered it a miracle, and now, more than a half century later, I still do! The reason is as simple as it is complex--the river is ever-changing, yet eternal. It is a wonderfully vital entity with moods and mysteries capable of continuing to captivate us through the entirety of our life on earth. Reflect for a moment on how precious that really is!
Because rivers are so very special, I have never been able to fathom why it is that we continue to desecrate them. We seem obsessed with bending them to our will--damming them, channeling them, polluting them, defiling them in every imaginable way. It is as though we are obsessed with the notion of control, and enraged that rivers remain forever beyond our ability to finally regulate them. Anyone who has ever seen a river in flood, will remember the lesson of their ultimate unwillingness to ever be finally harnessed to human will!
However, if our treatment of rivers in the past has been shameful and deplorable in the extreme, there are a few hopeful signs beginning to emerge. For instance, I saw a sign in Montana not long ago, which I not only agree with, but, I hope, represents a portent of things to come. It read: “The Blackfoot River--More Precious than Gold!” Instead of allowing a gold mine near the town of Lincoln--one which would imperil the Blackfoot River--the citizens of Montana, in a state-wide referendum, defeated the proposed mine. They did so resoundingly. (Apparently they have had enough of the “boom and bust” cycles that have characterized mining in Montana in the past e.g. Anaconda!) True, that is only one example, but it is significant, and it may well represent the wave of the future.
Certainly here in Wisconsin there is a growing coalition of organizations pledged to prevent the Crandon Mine from defiling the Wolf River. A sulfide mining moratorium bill was enacted over the opposition of the Governor, and citizen pressure for the bill was so intense that the Governor felt compelled to sign the bill into law. That too seems to represent a landmark decision.
So maybe this really is a watershed in American history. Perhaps we are finally growing up as a Nation. It is conceivable that we are arriving at the point where we recognize that there are things in life that are infinitely more valuable than money, and that we have a sacred obligation to assure that posterity enjoys those same riches we have!
The next time you are in doubt on some matter, go to a river. Spend a few moments contemplating its depths as well as your own. See where you come out. I suspect you will find guidance and direction for your own life…and, in the process, for this Nation as well.