“And the lesson was this; sit in the sun, head down, within a prickly vine, in a flickery light, or open light, and the world will come to you. The sky will come in its time, bringing rain, and the earth will rise through you, from beneath, and make you rich and make you full” – Ray Bradbury, Summer Morning, Summer Night

Sometimes it feels like the only way to discuss the world on a planetary scale is through fiction. Fiction stories printed on pulpy paper, for which Bradbury was paid by the word at a penny and a half.

Bradbury always seemed to grasp the importance of taking care of our planet, and also having no doubt that if we traveled to some other far off planet or universe, we’d probably ruin that too.

“We Earth Men have a talent for ruining big, beautiful things. The only reason we didn’t set up hot-dog stands in the midst of the Egyptian temple of Karnak is because it was out of the way and served no large commercial purpose.”

So perhaps on this beautiful Earth Day of 2022, we should take a literal page out of Ray Bradbury’s book. Let us sit in the sun. Let us look at the sky. Let us feel the rain. Let the earth rise up and swaddle us in light. And for the love of god, nobody open a hot dog stand.

By Jordan Brinker-Saigaonkar