"Be a Half-Hearted Fanatic," Ed Abbey Said, "Enjoy Yourselves, Keep the Brain and Body Active, and I Promise You This; You Will Outlive the Bastards"
Some necessary words of advice from one of America's legendary public lands advocates
In a time when things can feel uncomfortably uncertain and depressingly dark—a time in which we appear to be barreling toward more resource-grabbing wars, to more climate disasters, and to more biodiversity loss—it’s absolutely crucial to look for positives.
It’s essential that we take care of ourselves in order to be able to keep fighting for the bigger things in life, whether it’s climate change, social justice, poverty, or in my—and probably your— specific case: public lands, waters, and wildlife.
If/when we feel ourselves getting overwhelmed and pulled under by the rapid flow of negative news, we must look for that proverbial buoy that keeps us afloat.
We have to look for something that give us air—oxygen. We must make sure we stay mentally, physically, and psychologically resilient. We need to ensure we can keep swimming, whether it’s against the current or not.
Right now, the world needs positivity and the world, desperately, needs action.
This is where that common airplane rule offers a nice metaphor: in case of cabin pressure loss, you put on your own mask before helping others.
So, don’t let yourself lose oxygen and become incapacitated.
Protect yourself, take care of your own health, ensure you’re physically able and mentally ready—then go and fight like hell for the things you care about.
And with that in mind, I figured that, on this unseasonably sunny January Sunday here in the Pacific Northwest, there’s no better lesson in positivity than Edward Abbey’s, one of America’s greatest public lands advocates:
Do not burn yourselves out. Be as I am—a reluctant enthusiast, a part-time crusader, a half-hearted fanatic. Save the other half of yourselves and your lives for pleasure and adventure. It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you can. While it’s still here.
So get out there and hunt and fish and mess around with your friends, ramble out yonder and explore the forests, climb the mountains, bag the peaks, run the rivers, breathe deep of that yet sweet and lucid air, sit quietly for a while and contemplate the precious stillness, the lovely, mysterious, and awesome space.
Enjoy yourselves, keep your brain in your head and your head firmly attached to the body, the body active and alive, and I promise you this much; I promise you this one sweet victory over our enemies, over those desk-bound men and women with their hearts in a safe deposit box, and their eyes hypnotized by desk calculators.
I promise you this; You will outlive the bastards.
Thanks for reading!
See you on our public lands and waters,
Bram
Top photo: My wife Caroline and my dog Cadi hiking Coyote Wall in spring, Columbia River Gorge, Washington (taken by me)
That's good advice
Fits the bill today! Lovely photo!