To get straight to the point, there are plenty of folks out there that see little or no value in saving every darned species of animal on earth. I hear their arguments about how a few types of whales, or subspecies of this or that becoming extinct in the name of progress really won't make much of a difference.
Their argument is quite loud and powerful. Progress means jobs, cars and big beige houses for everyone. Now what's the big deal if some obscure wolverine or warbler gets trampled in the process?
So I've tried to come up with the proper rebuttal. It is true that we don't need every species on earth to eat as food, for obviously we are content with our factory farm swine. It also appears that many, many people really don't have an active interest in nature and if they want to see an animal, Winnie the Pooh will do. So what reasons are left??
I think there is an old saying: one can not live on bread alone. Or something similar. There are just certain things in this life that you may not need in a cognitive sense, but do need in an emotional way. Not many would argue that we don't need art, music, laughter or love in life- ok, some fools probably would. Yet, the point is, these things nurture the soul. And each person has their own soul food.
For me this soul food is the wilderness and all it's magnificent inhabitants. I believe my right to feel this emotion gets trampled on each time folks mock the importance of saving any type of wild creature. For others it would be like giving up laughter for the sake of "progress."
Yes, for some of us, the wilderness really is our daily bread.
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