A Greater Community

On my way to work today, I swerved to avoid hitting a box turtle that was crossing the road. I ended up pulling onto the shoulder, intending to help move the turtle along before anything bad happened. Unfortunately, before I had the chance, a van came rushing down the road at the 50 mph speed limit. The thought of waving at them to slow down crossed my mind, but I didn't want to risk getting hit, so I hoped that they would miss the turtle. They didn't. An easily avoidable collision had the poor turtle being knocked back several feet. It remained upright, though, and continued crossing the road, this time with a limp. I made sure it made it before leaving, but I was pretty much on the verge of tears. Turtles may not have the knowledge of the fact that roads are traveled upon by people who are too caught up in rushing to get everywhere, but that's why its our job to watch out for them. If it had been a person who had been crossing the road and gotten hit, there would have been serious consequences. But it was just a turtle and that's where it ends. As sappy as this incident may sound, it reminded me why I'm in the field of environmental education. I want people to learn about the rest of the organisms that make up this world. I want people to realize that, just like everything else, the world was not made for us; we were made for this world. We are all intended to be part of a greater community, and I'm glad I can be a part of teaching people that.