BLOG ACTION DAY: EARTH

Today is Blog Action Day. All over the globe, bloggers are writing about the environment and global warming.

To kick my butt into gear, I watched Disney's amazing documentary, "EARTH" last night. This film was prepared and shot over many years, with the input of extraordinarily gifted and talented filmmakers and others who contributed their expertise. The cinemetography is incredible! "EARTH" was shot in many different countries, in the North and South Pole, over (and under) the oceans, across the Serenghetti and many other amazing locales.
If there is a film that can show future generations what this magnificent planet had to offer in terms of the sheer magnitude of lifeforms our precious Mother Earth sustained for billions of years BEFORE humans and Global Warming destroyed life as we know it, "EARTH" is one of THE MOST IMPORTANT FILMS to be passed along.

Visually, the entire film, underscored by an epic soundtrack, was magnificent, enthralling, thrilling.

The most moving segment captured the struggle for Wild African Elephant herds trekking thousands of miles through desert, drought and sandstorms for water. Shot from above, witnessing the sheer willpower of these magnificent creatures slowly, exhaustively making their way along ancient, desert pathways to life-sustaining water holes, (which are becoming increasingly scarcer) was emotionally heartwrenching to watch. We humans caused these droughts. We humans are responsible for the fact that now, 1/3 of the earth is desert. Later, upon finding a small waterhole to stave off sure death from dehydration, the elephants must share it with an equally famished Lion Pride, who wait patiently for cover of night to gang up on a weakened baby elephant for dinner, while the mother and her herd clan can only look on, powerless, defenseless in the pitch black night.

Another equally devastating moment involved a lone polar bear, having to swim dozens if not hundreds of miles in search of seals to eat. An amazing overhead shot showed the ease with which this HUGE Father Polar Bear swam in the icy waters, ever so gracefully navigating around and beneath pieces of broken glacial ice. Polar bears are losing ice shelves to hunt seals from earlier every year due to Global Warming, so they must swim longer distances now. Finally, the bear beaches himself on a rocky sea coast with hundreds of supersized walruses. He's lost half his body weight by now. So weakened and famished is he from his long swim/hunt, he lacks the strength to make a successful go at one of the pups, and simply lays down to die, surrounded by the entire clan of Walrus onlookers.

Rent this film. The magic of our earth and the life on it as we float ever so miraculously inside our universe is awesome. Nature is truly majestic. I'm mourning it's end - and ours. Though I know that somehow, the meek - I'm talking about Nature - will inherit the earth long after the scourge - that would be us - is gone.