Leath Tonino and his buddies express their joy in nature by shouting obscenities and seeing body parts in rock formations (“Cursing the Mountain,” HCN, 2/08/16). The same spirit inspires people to show their enthusiasm for nature by writing obscenities on national monuments.
A better way to appreciate nature is to shout “Thank you!” for the gentle sun that warms your bones in the morning. “Thank you!” for the breathable blue sky that is also so pretty to look at. “Thank you!” for the green trees and the white clouds that carry the water to make them grow.
If you don’t believe in God, you still have to thank someone or something — thank your bacterium ancestor or his grandfather, the clever chemical that somehow clung to the lonely rock hurtling into space, which somehow became Planet Earth. Thank your parents and grandparents who brought you to such pleasant places.
We are instructed to return blessings for curses. It is even more appropriate to repay great blessings with thanks instead of curses. We owe somebody something for what we have been given.
Terry Sullivan
Denver, Colorado
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Blessing the mountain.
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