Nature and Wildlife: My take

I’ve seen some pretty amazing things in the wild. I’ve raced against horses on a four-wheeler. I’ve wrestled hunting dogs and saw those same hunting dogs go after cows like they weren’t huge and dangerous. I’ve been 40 feet under water, swimming with sharks, stingrays and other people. I’ve seen a lot of nature thus far in life, and I feel sorry for people who haven’t. I mean, most people that live in suburbia don’t have a chance to see nature. Kids raised in suburbia actually say that meat and milk come from the grocery store. The first few times I saw this, I thought it was for shock value. Now I’m actually starting to think that kids believe this. And why shouldn’t they? Aside from what their teachers tell them, all they know is what they see at a neighborhood grocery.
Am I the only one who finds it sad? I am not a zealous PETA activist. I have raised 6 hogs, 13 chickens, 200+ cows, and 6 horses. It wasn’t fun all the time, and when I did all that, I was a redneck. I absolutely loathed going out every morning to feed the pigs. I hated washing them in 60 degree weather while they squealed and stepped on my feet. But them piggy were clean after words. I on the other hand, was soaked, annoyed, horribly smelly and thoroughly exhausted. The horses weren’t much nicer. We had an old green broke horse named Hammer-Head. He decided that one day, on a calm ride, he wanted to take my happy 10 year old self and GO. He galloped at top speed all the way to the gate. I was so scared…. But it was exhilarating. It has made who I am. It has changed who I am. I am no longer a redneck, but living in the middle of the boondocks will always be a part of me.
Why don’t other kids get to experience that? Probably because they’re smart. But… humor aside, wild life has so much to offer, to everyone. Now we live in concrete jungles. Oh!! Wait! We have parks! I forgot about the parks. That’s our little bit of nature nestled among the hustle and bustle of the city. Bull. Crap. These parks, that’s not nature. Do you see a rabbit running in front of you in those parks? Nah. You see some cute little ducks in a pond. I have nothing against ducks. They happen to be darn cute. But that isn’t the type of nature I think people should see. I think people should be able to sit down, and be the only human for a quarter of a mile. Screw their cell phones for a minute, or 30. I think I’m starting to sound like a hippy. I’m not, really, the whole no-war thing isn’t me.
Other people can ride horses, if they don‘t want to sit in the middle of a field… get away to a real park, the national ones. Don’t go camping and sit on a little bit of concrete next to the woods. Go into the woods, you won’t get eaten. Well, hopefully not.
This isn’t really a blog… it’s more like a psychotic rant. But seriously. We need more nature. A lot more nature.
/action throws nature at Mizahar