I often think about nature, its relationship to me, my mood,thoughts, my being and my state of mind and body. How can we separate ourselvesfrom it? Even in drinking of water and consuming my oatmeal, nature is patientlythere reminding us of a delicate balance between its health and ours.

Henry David Thoreau wrote in the 19^th century,“In wilderness is the preservation of the world.” That line is to me like aline from the Tao Te Ching – timeless. It speaks on so many levels withprofound acuracy, but for most of us little contemplation on the depth of itsmeaning.

Yes, this might sound like a philosophical beginning forthis blog, but snap back into the reality of the world, and you begin torealize that even MRSA – the superbug that devours flesh – may have its humblebeginnings in our ravaged streams and soil. Scientists have found that MRSA maybe a part of what they call genes for antibiotic resistance – DNA Pollution!Our soil and our water all contain bacteria that interact with what we feed ourlivestock and poultry (antibiotics) which then transfer into their droppings -that transports the antibiotics into the soil and into our groundwater. Now thesoil and groundwater’s bacteria have a chance to mutate and adapt to whateverwe throw at them (think of what we grow in our soil also). But what about allthe antibiotics our impatient human population takes, excretes, pumpes intosewage treatment plants and then is made into fertilizer? Guess where thefertilizer goes? We already know that certain excessive bacteria can cause cancersuch as Helicobacter pylori –  but what happens when it mutates?

If this concerns you, read the March 2008 issue of Discovermagazine called “Superbugged”. In the same issue, George Schaller, fieldBiologist, asks a question that moved me so much that it made my heart ache. Hesaid, “ Can you put a value on a river -  On the cry of an animal?  Unless you can convince people of the spiritual value of theenvironment, the cause is lost.”

Many people poke fun at environmentalists, until their childgets cancer from benzidine, a chemical found incertain dyes or Tetrachlorethylene produced since the early 1900s mostlyfor dry cleaning, textile processing, rubber coatings, printing inks, adhesivesand glues. Drinking water, contaminated bytetrachlorethylene runoff from manufacturing, that then that seeps into thegroundwater, can be absorbed by inhaling while bathing or showering. Moreover,aggresive infections that do not respond to traditional treatments orcancers begin to spread in towns where there was known nuclear dumping etc. Sooften we play russian roulette with our actions regarding the environment,without being truly responsible for future generations. People laughed atenvironmentalists concept of global warming 15 years ago, now it is front pagenews and on all the science shows on TV. Watch the National Geographic showabout what just a three to six degree climb in Earths’ temperature will do. Theamazon rainforest will be gone, and parts of Europe, India and South America willbe uninhabitable due to to barren wastleland.

So now we believe we are knowledable enough to clone animalsfor their meat and milk. The FDA recently paved the way by approving themarketing of meat and milk from cloned cows, pigs, and goats in the UnitedStates. The FDA does not plan to require manufacturers to make any declarationof cloned content on labels! How are we as consumers able to opt out of clonedproducts? Morover, what about animal welfare? What about the ethical andenvironmental implications of cloning? Do we really know what we are doing? 

If we look at history, nature is the strongest force on theplanet and it will overcome the reckless alterations that we have set forth. However,it might just cost us our ability to live here as well.