Recognize the living things around us

This summer, during a visit to the Saint-Félicien Zoo, I heard a magical phrase that inspired me a lot. At the very end of the train ride in the Parc des Sentiers de la Nature, we heard:

“You have to learn to know.

Know to love.

Love to protect. »

(That's an English adaptation to what I heard in French)
I'm rereading it again and it gives me chills.

This nature... that often we do not know or no longer connect with because we are encompassed by our daily lives.

This environment, this climate... that are so abstract. How can one feel concerned about a climate crisis when not personally affected, when there is no awareness of changes happening in our environment?

The only way to know is to learn. Then, we open our eyes and remove our blinders, becoming aware of the living beings around us.

Do you remember the last time you connected with nature? When you touched a tree, appreciated a bird?

By taking a moment to connect, we take a moment to love.

And we realize how beautiful nature is and how important it is to protect it.

And let's not forget that humans are also part of this nature. Our own children are living beings.

It reminds me of this other quote, which gives me just as much chills, from the end of the documentary Prêts pour la décroissance (in French) :

“Ten years ago, we had to protect polar bears. Today, it is no longer polar bears that we must protect, it is our children. »

- Karel Mayrand, David Suzuki Foundation.