Clean water Quote by Ken Ilgunas
““I felt a strange twinge of anger looking at the stars. It was as if I’d just learned of an inheritance that had been stolen from me. If it wasn’t for Alaska, I might have gone my whole life without knowing what a real sky was supposed to look like, which made me wonder: If I’d gone the first quarter of my life without seeing a real sky, what other sensations, what other glories, what other sights had the foul cloud of civilization hid from my view? We can only miss what we once possessed. We can only feel wronged when we realize something has been stolen from us. We can’t miss the million-strong flocks of passenger pigeons that once blackened our skies. We don’t really miss the herds of bison that grazed in meadows where our suburbs stand. And few think of dark forests lit up with the bright green eyes of its mammalian lords. Soon, the glaciers will go with the clear skies and clean waters and all the feelings they once stirred. It’s the greatest heist of mankind, our inheritance being stolen like this. But how can we care or fight back when we don’t even know what has been or is being taken from us?””
About This Quote
Source Essay: Reflections on Lost Natural Wonder, 2023
The author laments modern civilization’s concealment of natural beauty, feeling a personal loss of wonder and a collective theft of environmental heritage.
In simple terms: We miss what we never truly experience, especially nature’s wonders.
Seek and protect natural experiences before they vanish.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- urban living
- education
- policy making
- personal reflection
- activism
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- What natural experiences have you missed?
- How can society balance development with preservation?
The narrative may romanticize nature and overlook benefits of progress.