In a national park, there are no "weeds," only wilderness land populated by "native" and "non-native" species of plants. And there are very particular ways that non-native plants are dealt with, as the using of pesticides is only used as an intervention of absolute last resort, and only after all pros and cons are assessed by the National Park Service--not an easy decision to be made, one way or the other.
So this morning as I was pulling weedlings up and out of the ground, I was all too keenly aware of what a powerful act that was. Before living at the Grand Canyon I never thought twice about yanking out those pesky weeds that infiltrated my sacred garden. But this morning I knew that each plant yanked out was an unnatural act. . . .an act of violence against nature, as each and every plant that I pulled this morning had a right to life in its natural habitat. . . .its home. . .and I yanked that life right out of the ground because it was labeled and identified as an "invasive" plant species.
But that's the human way. . . .or at least the "civilized" human way. We "tame" and "control" the natural world as we carve away landscapes and reshape them to fit our personal whims and desires. We live so far out of balance with the natural world that it's amazing how anything survives at all. And the creation of national parks is a wonderful thing, but it's not enough to protect the natural world. . . .it's just not enough.
Yet even so, even with the changed awareness, I still pulled those weeds this morning. . . .those native plants that were invading the space I want to create. . . .but the guilt lingers on. . . .yes. the guilt most definitely lingers on. . . .
[Photo credit: My friend Jennifer Tenney's personal garden]