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51 *:.,, t:: ?,. ~' _~ `,~i y re- process r; . a for the ~ of us wh . mea at we are see ' or species, of mere monet - seeking to protect the disse oration-through the often hidd _ humans make each time they walk in ~ - ten to a stream, inhale the aroma deep within a red- wood forest, or feel the snow upon their brow These connections between ht~an beings and their world generate energy that sustains the living universe. When you understand this, it becomes ludicrous to think of a park in the contem of the current eco- nomic paradigm; it becomes ludicrous to assume that parks can be priced and purchased in the mar- ketplace. We must not subordinate the very creative force o the u " _ to a system that is simply one s _ uc f - ~e. To do so.th~eatens to ~'}°continued disco - verY aid cre- ~p ti - a ~ mat only Ott ex- is ~. ~~.~~ ,~ ~;,~~- our parks, or that parks will be commercialized. at people fear, and rightly so, is not simply that s ,parking, or guidebooks will cost too - they fear the loss of the human con- ' the creative force of life itself. r a moment about how your own expe- have shaped you. How have you grown and lvec~ y~r7con ' ' mess? How have you become o i`e• sw ~ is: through connections. ~.. _- ur parents, with your fam- ' a ' 'e.p int with the world around trip, or a walk in the - You. a first time. You felt ~.., r ... - :felt n your face. You test- - :...~_. ip or an arduous hike. "tat a by which an individual erztiit not only the re-creation of the 'actually the creation of and move- einsciousness. The boxer George Fo apt waded for a life of crime in Houston when, at eighteen, he joined the Job Carps. He was transferred to Grants Pass in Oregon. Looking back on the experience years later he said, "I'd never seen streams and all the beautiful trees. It changed my life, and for the first time I saw there was another part of the world." It maybe argued by some that everything has its price, and that if something is of value it can be bought; and further that many of our most valuable lands have been bought for a price. I submit that that is a perversion, and it ought not be. Just as we do not place a monetary value on our children, our spouses, or our freedom, we should not place a monetary value on our natural and cultural re- sources. Some things are just too precious. • ,D~ald.Murphy is the author of several hooks and the ,of ,~~~ediate past Direcror of California State Parks. .-:. ~' '~ Summer 1998.31 1