The ocean, the sand, and me

When I was a sophomore in high school, a friend invited me to go on a sea kayaking trip with her family. It was an amazing experience, a group of ten people going out in the practically untouched islands of the Bahamas for a week with whatever they were paddling for themselves. Having never done anything like this before, I had to learn quickly: how to paddle effectively, what my task in the group was at any given moment, and how to avoid sunstroke. The water was every color blue that you could possibly imagine. We saw a lizard that was bigger than a small dog. I managed to climb to the highest point of the Bahamas, which consequently was not all that high.

During that trip though, my two fondest moments with nature were very peaceful. The first night, I chose to sleep on the beach. With nothing but my sleeping bag and pad, I feel asleep looking up at the stars, which shone so bright. Sunk into the sand as my bed. I felt as if I was truly within nature. The second moment came when I got my first chance to kayak in the one-person kayak. It was just me, working towards this unseen island just beyond the horizon, battling the waves alone, and feeling the water splash in my face. I loved every moment of my experience in the Bahamas.

Consequently, the last island we arrived at was covered in trash. Not only did it annoy me, it was horrible for the surrounding environment. Who knows what had already washed into the ocean or been detrimental to the island wildlife? “Saving nature” is essential to the continuation of human’s wellbeing and the world’s. I want to keep the world a beautiful place to explore but there is also a more dangerous problem that can arise. Ecosystems are fragile, and rely on a cycle to continue. McKibben, in Eaarth, makes the statement that ecosystems have already been forced to change and pushing them further can create more permanent damage. The truth is that we don’t know the full effects of an ecosystem crumbling. Ecosystems have so many complex interactions within themselves and outside. We need to save nature, it would be stupid not to.