The Everglades is a test. If we pass it, we may get to keep the planet.
Marjory Stoneman DouglasRead
The wealth of south Florida, but even more important, the meaning and significance of south Florida lies in the black muck of the Everglades and the inevitable development of this country to be the great tropic agricultural center of the world.
Interpretation
The essence of south Florida's identity and value is rooted in its natural environment, particularly the Everglades.
Marjory Stoneman Douglas emphasizes that the true significance of south Florida is not only its wealth but more importantly its unique ecosystem, particularly the Everglades, which represents the potential for the region to become a leading agricultural hub. This highlights a profound connection between the area's natural resources and its future development, suggesting that preserving its ecological heritage is crucial for sustainable growth.
In practice
In a speech about environmental conservation.
The Everglades is a test. If we pass it, we may get to keep the planet.
Life should be lived so vividly and so intensely that thoughts of another life, or of a longer life, are not necessary.
Whoever wants me to talk, I'll come over and tell them about the necessity of preserving the Everglades.
To be a friend of the Everglades is not necessarily to spend time wandering around out there.
The hardest thing is to tell the truth about oneself. One doesn't like to remember unpleasant details, but forgetting them makes one's life seem disorganized.
Conservation is now a dead word.
The prayer of the farmer kneeling in his field to weed it, the prayer of the rower kneeling with the stroke of his oar, are true prayers heard throughout nature.
I want my body to help fertilize the growth of a cactus or cliff rose or sagebrush or tree.
I want to get out in the water. I want to see fish, real fish, not fish in a laboratory.
I lingered round them, under that benign sky; watched the moths fluttering among the heath and hare-bells; listened to the soft wind breathing through the grass; and wondered how anyone could ever imagine unquiet slumbers for the sleepers in that quiet earth.
When asked what he would do if he knew the world would end tomorrow, Martin Luther said, "I would plant a tree."
We are beginning to learn that each animal has a life and a place and a role in this world. If we place compassion and care in the middle of all our dealings with the animal world and honor and respect their lives, our attitudes will change.
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