The Blue Marble

They say that the Earth is an exceptionally beautiful planet from space. By they, I mean, those who went to space and could see the Earth with their own eyes. As for the rest of us, all we have are photos of the Earth taken from space., which show a luminous blue marble — so beautiful and mysterious…

Nevertheless, living in the concrete jungle of Los Angeles, I never could feel that way toward the Earth until recently.

Just last week we drove across L.A. to this peninsula.

Standing at the top of the cliff there was the most beautiful ocean in front of us. The blue hues were so deep, serene, and almost mysterious. Looking down I could see dark green kelp and light green seaweed swaying over brownish rocks and sand. I was shocked that the water was crystal clear. “How is that possible at this location,” I thought. (Later we found out that this beach was part of the state’s ecological preserve.)

The beauty overwhelmed and reminded me of what it actually was. I realized that this ocean was the planet Earth itself! It finally hit me that I was on that beautiful blue marble.

Then I remembered all the news and images of pollution that are threatening the Earth.

There was one thing positive that happened during the pandemic. The David Attenborough documentary, “The Year Earth Changed,” shows how the Earth could recover from the footprints of human pollution during the year 2020 when people had to stay home. I also remembered the clear sky over Los Angeles during that time. We did learn how to improve the environment.

But for now I cherish this beautiful blue marble as ours and know that only us humans can keep it that way.