Change for the worse? (Revised)

<>Where will the world be in 25, 100, or even 1000 years? This is the question that not only the common person but scientists are trying to predict in order to get people to board the “global warming,” or “go green” train. The recent uproar in what exactly our ecosystem is doing has stopped people in their tracks forcing them to take a stand on the subject. I, like so many other Americans, have mixed feelings about what we are doing to our land. On one hand my inner childhood is saying that we need to preserve it and stop what we are doing because of the time I spent with nature as a young child. However my adult side is saying that we need to continue what we are doing to survive or, best case scenario, find an alternative solution on how we get oil, paper, and reduce pollution. When we talk about where the responsibility lies with preserving and making sure the wild is up to par, humans should take it on. The preservation of the beauty of nature rests on our shoulders and if we approach the situation with a careless mindset then the beauty will fade quicker than it was made. I believe that whatever people put into it is what they will get out of it.
<>When I think about what I get out of nature there are two events that pop into my mind. First is the extremely popular and absolute gorgeous Coal Run pond. In the summer time as a kid this tiny pond felt like the Atlantic Ocean to me and my friends. With rugged ropes hanging from dead trees and rock cliffs hanging over the ponds edge, boredom was impossible. Much to my surprise, after my generation, kids stopped going there and the owner ended up selling it to a company. The pond was filled in and a parking lot, I repeat, a parking lot was put in its place that is barren as the desert 24 hours of the day. The second case is Rasor’s field where we would play sports all year around. This land was flat as a pancake and was big enough to hold any size of game that satisfied our little hearts. The deal that we made with Mr. Rasor is that as long as we mowed it and kept it up to par then we could play there any time we wanted. However, this story like the last doesn’t end happily. Mr. Rasor couldn’t maintain it and kids stopped playing there so it was also sold and a fireworks store was opened there. The irony of the story is that it is illegal to let fireworks off in the state of Ohio. So needless to say, this investment isn’t doing too well to date. Both cases ended the way they did because of the lack of participation of the younger generation. Today kids don’t need to go outside to play. They have it all right in front of them with the newest video game systems and computer technology. Outside activities are becoming obsolete and nature is suffering because of it.
<>Nature is by far at the top of my list for things that I love. Ever since I could remember getting dirty, playing in the sun, snow, and on my crazier days in the rain is what I remember the best about my childhood. I may not have had a green thumb, per se, but I remember having my parents tell me on multiple occasions that I couldn’t keep wild animals that I found as pets. However, when I think about nature my parents are the two most important people to have an impact in my views on nature. Sitting around the dinner table listening about my parent’s childhood used to be, I guess you could call, a hobby of mine. I would hear about stories about certain places they would go to frolic and enjoy the benefits of being a kid. Growing up in my father’s family with eight brothers and sisters and only my grandfather working didn’t leave a lot for the imagination to do. They didn’t take vacations or have money to blow on whatever. One sister had the privilege of going to college and that’s because she worked two jobs in high school to put herself through it. The rest got jobs right out of high school. The reason I’m telling you this is that as kids they had one thing they could do and that is spend time outside. My father's mindset towards nature and adventurous attitude was passed down to me as I walked in the exact same footsteps on the exact same soil as he did when he was at the age I was.
<>Even though my essay focuses primarily on the small slabs of land that I grew up on doesn’t mean that I don’t know or care about the earth and the ecosystem. The only reason I talk about this is because, frankly, that’s all I really know. I don’t really understand the whole global warming scheme or how we as people are destroying the ecosystem. By the amount of driving we do or the type of foods we consume the earth is constantly polluted, but forcing people and scaring them into thinking that the earth is going to cease to exist in a few years is not the answer. As brought up in class the earth has survived thousands of years with us living and not living on it and I believe that it was put here for us to use and live on. My education on the environment may have a lot to do with the interaction I had with it growing up as a child in my tiny, one stop light village. Since I was born I have used the wonders of nature as a kid would use a playground, admiring the beauties and doing my damndest to keep it that way. My belief on the subject is that if everyone concentrates and preserves their little section then this palace we call earth will be taken care of as a whole.