Meet Edward Abbey

Just got my copy of Orion magazine today and spent some quality time with it this evening. Of particular enjoyment was a collection of unpublished letters written by the late Edward Abbey (think Wendell Berry with a mean streak), about whom the editors write:

"Hands down, no one did more to inspire, entertain, refresh, and invigorate eco-activists and environmental defenders in the latter half of the twentieth century than Edward Abbey."

I don't consider myself much of an "eco-activist" nor an "environmental defender," but being a farm kid (and a Christian), I want to love God's creation more than I already do. After all, as Abbey writes (pre-1990, mind you):

"The most common form of terrorism in the U.S.A. is that carried on by bulldozers and chainsaws. It is not enough to understand the natural world; the point is to defend and preserve it. Sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul."

Gulp.

(Note: I also like Abbey's writing because he uses the semicolon a lot. Regardless of your personal opinion/use of God's greatest gift to punctuation, be sure to read Abbey's letters addressed to Karen Evans and Barry Lopez. Thought-provoking.)