Is "The Lorax" Hope for the Future?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bHdzTUNw-4

Universal Studios has, just this past weekend, rolled out their new film based on a book by Dr. Seuss: The Lorax. For those who have spent their lives extremely sheltered, here is a summary of the plot: The planet has lost all of its trees to the progress of man. Streams are polluted and natural systems are in total disarray. A young man, wishing to see a tree, goes in search of one. While he never finds his tree, he does find the Lorax. The Lorax tells the boy of bygone days of flourishing forests, clean air, and clear streams. Upon the completion of the story, and judging the boy to be true in his intent to save the trees, the Lorax gives the boy a seed: the last tree seed in the world.

This sends my mind spinning in two directions. The first being, what a terrible place the world would be without its forests! What kind of people would do this? This question led to a realization that plenty of people would if it were financially lucrative. Unfortunately, many people currently inhabiting the planet lack a strong connection to the haunts of nature.

The second direction was: Will this movie change anything? I believe the answer is yes. The opinions of people are most malleable when they are young. Therefore, creating an animated movie which teaches a story of ethical land use could have major impacts on the future. Anything that encourages children to get outside and explore is positive for the planet, in my opinion.

Hopefully this movie successfully inspires future generations to fight for natural places. Without some change, I fear corporations will eventually run our natural resources into the ground.

Even if only a single individual is inspired, the implications could be enormous if fate leads that individual to a position of power. Just look how successful Roosevelt was in protecting our natural resources. Look at how much emphasis Ted Turner places on conservation. The moral of the story is: never underestimate the power of a highly motivated individual.