Our Phobias and Greed are Destroying the Planet

Every spring here in Alabama the weather warms and the plants and wildlife burst forth full speed ahead. It’s a beautiful time to live here for sure. It’s also a time I look forward to and dread at the same time. I guess you can say spring is a bittersweet time for me.

It is true that I love the warm weather. I enjoy fishing and riding my motorcycle without layer upon layer of clothing. But, along with the joys of spring, come the stories and pictures of snakes, fish, and other animals killed for no good reason.

Already this year I have read the comment “the only good snake is a dead snake,” many times. The ignorance doesn’t stop there. Many fishermen I know often catch turtles by accident, kill them and drop them back into the water. Drum, Carp, and Gar are considered trash fish by most in our area and often suffer the same fate. Either that or they are simply thrown up on the bank and left to die. What a waste. These fish are highly sought after in other parts of the world and considered tremendous sport as gamefish. Carp, Gar, and turtles are thought to be a delicacy and provide food to millions.

All across the world many species of plants and animals are going extinct because of the ignorance of humans. We consider ourselves the most intelligent species on the planet, but we don’t always act like it. There are less than 60 Javan Rhinoceroses left. These magnificent beasts are being poached for a single horn. 

The Cross River Gorilla is hunted for meat and being crowded out by human development. There are fewer than 600 of these left in the world. There are about 600 Sumatran Tigers left. Only around 100 of these still live free and in the wild. They are hunted for their skins.

The beautiful lovable looking Giant Panda is also being lost to due to human encroachment. These stories are sad and heartbreaking. They are also only a small number of the ones I found while doing research.

Every plant and animal on this earth is special and has a purpose. Each plays an individual part in our delicate ecosystem. When nature selects a species for extinction it is sad. When humans kill off a species before their time it is a tragedy.

I fully understand people have phobias and are afraid of certain animals, bugs, and even certain plants. Does this give us the right to exterminate certain species simply because we don’t like them or are afraid of them…I don’t think so. I have been fascinated by snakes since I was very young so I will use them to help tie all this together and wind this blog up.

Most people classify snakes as either good are bad. This is usually determined by whether they are venomous or not. People with a snake phobia simply say they are all bad. No matter how you see snakes they are all part of the great big food chain. If by chance we removed all snakes the food chain would soon become completely out of balance. We would be overrun by rats, mice, and some insects in a very short time. These pests would infest our homes, ruin food supplies, and spread diseases. The hawks, foxes, and other animals that prey on these pests wouldn’t be enough to keep them in check.

Best advice in dealing with unwanted wildlife is to leave them alone. Most likely they will just go away. If you have a wild animal that is a nuisance, call someone with experience and have it relocated somewhere safe for it and other humans. Killing is not the answer to everything. God put animals on this earth and yes he did give us dominion over them, I don’t think he meant for us to kill any of his creatures just because we don’t like them.

                                                                                 Lowell Henderson

Hats Off to Published Authors

Not long ago I was talking with a friend about the book I have been writing. He was amazed first of all that I was a writer, and he thought it was cool I was writing a book. As we parted ways, he told me not to forget him when I was rich and how I would have it made when my book was published. His comments did make me smile, but I thought to myself, “Boy if you only knew.”

I had that same idea about writers years ago when I first started. I thought a writer must have the best, easiest life in the whole world. Well, some do; others work there ass off just to make ends meet.

Writing a book is hard work, harder than I ever imagined. You have to give so much of yourself to a project that has no guarantee of success. You lose time with family and friends that you can’t get back; but still being dedicated you press on. With or without an agent you spend lots of time promoting your work. The time spent promoting always feels like it should be spent writing.

A writer always deals with setbacks of one kind or another. If you haven’t made it to full time writer status, then you probably have schedule issues that continually pop up. Family issues arise, and in my case, computer issues. Some days it seems like the words just flow smoothly; other days it’s like my computer has a mind of its own and refuses to cooperate.

But even with all these obstacles in the way to me the end reward will be worth it. Thousands of authors struggle through and are published each year. That is the reason for today’s title. My hat truly is off to each of you published authors…be proud, you earned it.

Why Should You Build a Fan Base?

First of all before we answer the title question, let’s answer another question. Who should build a fan base? The way I see it, any professional can benefit from building a sizable fan base. Musicians, writers, actors, and athletes discovered long ago the importance of their fans. Without them they would be nothing.

 

Other professionals such as doctors, lawyers, food truck operators, skating rink owners, and even contractors can benefit from having an active fan base. Social media is the perfect place for a business to gain popularity and fans.

 

Many business owners are behind the times when it comes to social media and the benefits connected with it. Why would a contractor even bother spending time on Facebook or Twitter? Well, for one thing, social media is free advertising. All business owners know the value of advertising. Radio, TV, and newspapers were once the only real choices an owner had. A contractor could spend just a few minutes a day putting his business out there on social media and reach customers that never knew he or she existed. Word of mouth on social media is much greater than the old word of mouth method. If one happy customer posts what a great job you did, ten more may call the next day. That one post might be the little push the new customers needed to send them in your direction. Hey, and it was free.

 

Advice for new businesses building fans or your brand; don’t promise things you can’t deliver. Don’t be too pushy, and most important be nice. People want to work with nice, honest people. If you’d like to learn more about social media, I will be blogging more about it soon. Take a minute to subscribe to my blog. I hope each of you has had a great day. See you soon…Lowell Henderson.