Читать книгу Blessed Peacemakers - Robin Jarrell - Страница 53

18 February 1974—

Friend of a Beautiful, Sacred Planet

A horrible car accident changed Julia Butterfly Hill’s life when she was twenty-two. Rear-ended by a drunk driver, she was thrown so violently against the steering wheel that its column penetrated her skull. It took a year of daily physical therapy before she could speak and walk properly again. But her convalescence gave her plenty of time to think about what she wanted to do with her life. “The steering wheel in my head, both figuratively and literally, steered me in a new direction.”

Julia had always loved nature. (She gave herself the nickname “Butterfly” when she was six years old.) So when she recovered from her accident, she resolved to devote herself to protecting the environment. She headed to California and joined a group of environmental activists struggling to protect virgin redwood forests from clear-cutting by the Pacific Lumber Company. Petitions, litigation, and public demonstrations had been tried and had fallen short. The timber company was determined to cut. So Julia decided on a course of action that demanded a major lifestyle change on her part.

On the night of 10 December 1997, she climbed a 180-foot redwood that she named “Luna.” Hoisting up a bag of food, a sleeping bag, and two six-by-six-foot wooden platforms that she secured in Luna’s branches, Julia kept vigil in the redwood for the next 738 days and nights. Her presence in the tree not only prevented the Pacific Lumber Company from cutting it down; it drew national media attention and focused the public on the conflict between environmentalists, who sought to preserve the beauty of nature, and industrialists, who preferred to exploit nature for profit.

Julia’s public witness, supported by a team of activists who regularly supplied her with food and water, paid off. In December 1999, an agreement was reached with the Pacific Lumber Company that spared Luna and surrounding redwoods. But Julia’s yearlong nonviolent campaign had far-reaching effects. Besides saving Luna, it also drew attention to the possibility of a gentler relationship between humans and the environment, one in which nature is seen as a partner rather than merely a source of raw materials to be exploited. As Julia wrote, “Luna stands as a symbol. A symbol for all the old-growth forests that are smashing into the ground, into oblivion, every day. Luna stands for hope and the love that will always win over hate. She reminds us that there are no ‘sides,’ only ‘us’; that love and hate are within us all. Luna reminds us that the hope for this beautiful, sacred planet that gives us life and thus hope for our humanity lies in our ability to transform the greatest obstacles and challenges into strength, endurance, commitment, and love. These are the essence of Luna.”