Stewardship

What mom taught me about humanity's relationship with nature

My family raised me in the Southwestern United States. Which, surprisingly, isn't all desert. Yes it's arid, but you get up into the mountains or near a river and there's actual trees and flowers. It was in these mountains I spent a good deal of my youth.

My mom was in charge of camp. She always had a certain way of doing things. We always gathered our own locally sourced fire wood. At the end of the trip we always made sure our fire was all the way out before packing up the car. Our trash either went with us or made it to a trashcan. We were very careful to leave things as we found them.

I remember one time, as a young child, I imitated what my friends at school did. I threw my candy wrapper on the ground.

Mom went berserk. "Pick that up now!" she shouted.

I didn't understand. Everyone else did it. "Why?" I asked.

My mom, still red in the face, made the following speech. "Heavenly Father gave us stewardship over the Earth. That means that we must take care of it! Now pick up your trash."

I did what she asked. Since then, I haven't littered on purpose ever again. If I notice I drop anything, it gets picked up and either taken home or put in the proper public waste container.

As I grew up, I also read the King James and Joseph Smith interpretation of the Bible. The Joseph Smith Genesis creation story when it talks about man's creation uses the word stewardship instead of dominion.

A steward takes care of something in place of the rightful owner. In my religion Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are co-creators of this world. Therefore it is humanity's duty to care for the Earth in whatever way we can.

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