I was on the road for my second 2 mile round of the Crow Hop on the fourth day of the 2008
Nuclear Free Future walk. I had decided to carry the "Whole Earth" flag (a dark blue flag
with a beautiful picture of the sphere of earth as seen from space) while walking through
downtown Chillicothe, Ohio. The profile of the massive paper mill to the south filled my
vision as I walked along pondering our mission of protecting the earth from continued
ecological degradation from the industrial processes, especially the nuclear industry. I
believe the nuclear industry and others to be obsolete technologies derived in the 20th
century and to have lost their utility in the 21st century. The capacity for advanced
scientific breakthroughs into the 21st century gives us the opportunity to create new
alternatives to the obsolete technologies of the past. We can and must do better than holding
on to archaic technologies that need to go the way of steam engines and horse drawn buggies,
before humanity becomes the Dinosaur or Dodo bird of our time.
As I stopped to wait for a redlight a Dodge pick-up truck pulled into the drive right behind
me. I turned to see what the driver wanted and as our eyes locked he said "I saw you on the
road yesterday, and I wanted to ask why you are walking down this road ( state route 23 from
Columbus to Portsmouth via the nuclear facility at Piketon, where we would end our mission at
the Horseshoe mound). I explained to this young man that we were walking to defend Mother
Earth from the environmentally destructive processes of industrial development, specifically
the nuclear industry. It seems that the only way forh umanity to continue its industrial
development into the 21st century and beyond is to implement an environmentally benign
industrial base. A seemingly very difficult goal, but certainly not impossible if humanities
future survival depends on it. Species survival is not to expensive, nor to difficult
considering the alternative, is it? I explained that our group "Footprints for Peace" was
dedicated to creating positive change through peaceful actions such as cross country walks.
He thanked us for working to create positive change. He said it took much courage and
commitment to pursue the action that we undertook. I gave him one of our cards and as I
handed it to him he said his name was Rick and I told him I was Larry and we shook hands. He
then said that we will pray for you and I replied that prayer is what keeps us moving down
the road. He then said that though the scripture gives man dominion over the earth it doesn't
give us the right to tear it up, and I replied that we must excercise proper stewardship over
the Earth. He thanked me once again and then proceeded on his way. As I continued my walk I
wondered if this young man realized how much comments like his mean to those of us that walk
the roads for the cause. It is those moments when two hearts relate one to one and open with
unconditional Love that give us the will and determination to go on.
Thanks to you Rick, hope is alive in the world again!
Peacehq
FootPrints For 
