This year I have the honor of taking an AP Environmental Science class in my school. In just two short weeks I have already began to change my mindset about the world we live in. Although I'm still an industrialist and I understand that the Human race desires its technology to be bigger, better and faster I have also come to learn to listen with my instincts.

I am a person living on this planet with millions of other species. My slot on this earth is no different from a beetle's, parrot's or lion's. I have no right to kill another innocent creature, especially if it is not threatening me in any way shape or form. Just the other day I picked up a beetle from the classroom and released it into the wild. This was a shock for me and probably my mother. I personally despise bugs. I freak out when I see them. My main objective is to kill them without remorse, but my mentality is changing. I'm finding that as long as I don't bother them, they won't bother me.

This philosophy doesn't translate into me living in a bug infested home (however I did see a spider in my room and I spoke aloud "If you don't bother me I won't bother you" and let it be.) My teacher has greatly influenced my perspective on life in just a short amount of time and I am very grateful for that.

In a sense of anxious forethought I can't wait to go to Costa Rica and experience the raw sense of nature there. My spring break will be utterly amazing, not because of my friends (although I love them so) but because of being introduced to a new world. I love nature and all of its inhabitants. That doesn't mean I go sit outside in tall grass and die under the blazing sun, but I will explore and adventure to learn about what the earth has to offer. If my profession works out as planned I will be traveling all over the world and the cultural experience and natureful surroundings would be a dream of a lifetime for me.

So, although I may seem like a kid who loves to be cooped up in some form of shelter because of awful allergies, a hatred for bugs and possibly a fear of certain creatures, all that seems to be melting away piece by piece. I'm falling back in love with the world around me and its coexisting inhabitants and although I would love to see the human race come to a standstill and admire our world in all its glory, I suppose it will be too late before something so grand will occur.

Lastly, I would like to take a moment to thank HB, not for all that he has already given me but for the many life lessons yet to come.