To the Editor:
I’ve lived here my entire life. I’ve ventured through trails all over Northern Virginia, I’ve gazed upon the majestic Blue Ridge Mountains, I’ve sat next to the awesome power that makes up the tidal region of the Potomac River, I’ve stalked trout lying in a stream bed, slowly making their way up to the surface and back down once again. But time and time again, I have seen people abuse our natural resources. The water that makes up our rivers and streams is stained heavily with garbage. The forest floors are littered with beer cans, chip bags, those empty bottles no one wanted to carry to the trash bins. We have been given a great privilege; to be able to enjoy the beauty that is the nature which surrounds us. But with this, there has been an unimaginable amount of responsibility cast upon us. We have to, for lack of a better expression, enjoy responsibly. Although this might seem like a Herculean task, it’s really not. All our lives we have been taught to throw our trash into the proper reciprocals, and to dispose of waste correctly; why not take these lessons to the outdoors? If we don’t start taking care of our world, the world will stop taking care of us.
I leave you with a quote from one of my best friends, Cecil, “If I can take it in full, I can bring it out empty.”
Hameed Ali Talebian
Herndon