#48 The Passion of Purpose

Bob Kafka is what you would call a gutsy mover and shaker. Left a quadriplegic from a an accident in his youth, he went on to become very involved in the politics within the disabled community and ultimately was instrumental in helping to establish the American Disabilities Act. The ADA for the first time addressed the needs of the disabled within their communities, work places, and schools. He was a master at mobilizing disabled people to action through civil disobedience by capitalizing on their anger and passion. As he pointed out action comes from the anger of injustice and discrimination and the passionate commitment is what is needed to make a change.
Hearing his words inspired this piece, which led me to look for someone within the environmental movement who also shares that fiery passion. Many of you will remember Julia Butterfly Hill who found her calling in 1997 when she first encountered a stand of huge ancient redwood trees in California. They were destined for the saw when she decided to ascended 180 feet into a 1000 year old tree to live and protect it for two years. She named the tree Luna, and while living there was able to negotiate with local officials a nature preserve for the surrounding trees and raise awareness worldwide for the plight of old growth forests. This piece is about the upper reaches of a tree which is embracing its young occupant with its ancient energy.