Today I read in Apple news on my phone that National Parks are being trashed and abused. It seems that hordes of new visitors to these places have no experience of respect and gentle treatment of the parks, and abuse the privilege of being there. Parks like Rocky Mountain, the Grand Canyon and others are littered with human waste and food. Native American reservations adjacent to these parks are trying to control entrance, as their populations are so vulnerable to viruses, and many have been hit by Covid 19 extremely disproportionately to their population numbers. Fragile vegetation is being trampled and trails abused by all terrain vehicles. People in masks are being ridiculed and bullied by these people.
When we were at our cabin, which is situated in a National Forest, my friend and I were ridiculed by a cabin owner who called our masks "diapers". Four times he used the term. He was contemptuous of us though our masks protected him more than us. Was he angry because we were female? He kept saying his daughter was a lazy bum and bragged that his wife was thirty years younger than he. We were stunned. We were on a path minding our own business, and he walked out of the back of his cabin to target us. We're both five feet tall, so I guess he thought he could "handle" us. We were both disturbed and never went on that path again.
No respect for the earth upon which we live seems to be a theme for the moment. I'm praying we realize our interconnectedness and stewardship of nature, which supports and benefits us in so many ways. I hope this craziness ceases.
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