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Spring
2002
Everyday
Heroes
These
days the people universally venerated as heroes are the
firefighters and policemen who, by dint of character and
training, throw themselves into mortal danger to care for
others. Their altruism, duty, and courage are inarguably
heroic.
But
I find I don’t have to look as far as that for heroes.
In this issue we present people who, by dint of character
and spirit, undertook campaigns to save small parts of the
rest of Creation. In doing so, perhaps they too are saving
the world.
I
speak, for instance, of a Kane County fellow known to his
friends as Jim Phillips and to thousands more as "The
Fox." (See our tribute.) When
he witnessed the other creatures of this world being harmed
by the thoughtless acts of men, he took it upon himself
to speak out and act up.
Before
the Clean Water Act, before the Clean Air Act, Jim Phillips
captured the attention of polluters (and the public) by
turning his ire into satire and skewering selfishness with
wit. His deeds were legendary but, until his death last
October at age 70, few knew his name.
Martha
Carver is another local hero moved to act from indignation.
Campaigning from her keyboard, Martha
took on the online auction house eBay and won. Martha
hadn’t planned to start a campaign, but she was alarmed
at what she saw and cared enough to do something about it.
Young
Jean-Luc Mosley and Cora Thiele (shown above) are heroes
in my eyes, along with their compatriots (see
our feature) and hundreds more like them throughout
Chicago Wilderness. I say heroic because these kids are
cultivating the capacity to love other creatures, converting
natural wonder to advocacy and care. A generosity of the
heart is a heroism that is accessible to every one of us.
Edward
O. Wilson, the renowned entomologist, writes in The Future
of Life: "A conservation ethic is that which aims to
pass on to future generations the best part of the nonhuman
world. To know this world is to gain a proprietary attachment
to it. To know it well is to love and take responsibility
for it."
Let
us celebrate joy and wonder. Let us remember that they lead
to passion and love. Without them, we are lost. With them,
we are whole. We are human. Happy Earth Day, Mother Nature.
May our lives deserve you!
Debra
Shore may be reached at editor@chicagowildernessmag.org.
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